Reconstruction of Electric Discharge Patterns and Electrogenesis Mechanism in African Sharptooth Catfish Clarias gariepinus (Clariidae, Siluriformes)

Electrical discharges (EDs) in the African sharptooth catfish Clarias gariepinus were studied. Irregular monopolar EDs, lasting for 8–10 ms and longer, and more complex EDs, lasting for 20–50 ms and characterized by specific indentation of the discharge pattern, were recorded in pairs of individuals exhibiting both aggressive and defensive behavior. The pattern of long discharges was reconstructed by adding short EDs with different latencies and amplitudes. The conditions for the formation of long EDs with asynchronous activity of electromotor neurons and the possibility of coordinated operation of the electric generator and electroreceptor systems in catfish were considered, since an increase in the duration of EDs lowers the threshold of their perception.