How do mormyrid fishes communicate with electrical discharges?

Mormyrid fishes communicate using specialized electrical organs located in their tails, which generate weak electrical pulses. These discharges serve as vital signals for social interactions, including courtship, territorial defense, and aggressive encounters.1234

The communication system relies on a sophisticated sensory apparatus:

• Signal Emission: The fish produce pulses at frequencies and patterns that are distinct to each species.1
• Signal Reception: Mormyrids possess specialized tuberous receptors embedded in their skin. Unlike receptors used for detecting environmental objects, these are encapsulated to ignore slow-varying fields (like those from muscle activity) and are instead tuned to respond to the rapid electrical discharges of other fish.4
• Processing: The brains of these fish are highly sensitive to changes in the repetition rates of these discharges, allowing them to interpret and respond to complex social exchanges.4

This electrical signaling is particularly advantageous in the murky, turbid waters where these fish typically reside, as it allows for effective communication even when vision is impossible.12