Acoustic monitoring of swimming motions in the slipper lobster Scyllarides acquinoctialis (Lund, 1793)

Abstract

Members of the Malacostraca employ an escape swimming mode called a tail-flip. In this maneuver the uropods and telson are rapidly brought forward until they contact the ventral surface of the abdomen. This movement is the result of stimulation of the ventral cord giant fiber. When swimming at or near the surface the slipper lobster Scyllarides acquinoctialis produces a distinct acoustic signature with an average acoustic pulse duration of 82 milliseconds and peak amplitude between 0.1 kHz and 6.0 kHz. The acoustic signature of members of the Malacostraca can be exploited to passively monitor swimming motions in the marine environment.

Keywords

• bioacoustics
• passive acoustic monitoring
• scyllarides acquinoctialis
• tail-flip