Sound production by males of a coral reef fish (Pomacentrus partitus): its significance to females

Field evidence has demonstrated that free-ranging females of the bicolor damselfish, Pomacentrus partitus Poey, use the courtship sounds of conspecific males to locate male nest sites during the spawning period. Evidence is also provided that females can distinguish, not only between such sounds and similar sounds on the reef, but also between courtship sounds of different conspecific males, the latter indicating a role in mate assessment by the acoustical modality.