Fish Reproductive Pheromones

Abstract

Chemical communication in fish is known or suspected to be involved in a wide range of functions including general social attraction, species and individual recognition, parent-young interactions, alarm or fright reactions, migration, and a variety of reproductive responses including stimulation of spawning readiness, sexual attraction, and elicitation of courtship behavior (Colombo et al., 1982; Liley, 1982; Liley and Stacey, 1983). We will deal exclusively with reproductive aspects of chemical communication in fish (i.e. chemical communication between individuals which directly alters reproductive development or the likelihood of sexual behavior) and will not be concerned with non-reproductive social interactions. Emphasis will be placed on developments which have occurred since the publication of earlier reviews, with particular attention being given to the possible chemical nature of fish reproductive pheromones, the information which these chemical signals might transmit, and the mode of action by which they are thought to induce the observed reproductive responses. As little is known of many of these aspects of chemical communication in fish, it is hoped that the present article will serve as a focus and stimulus for further research in this area.