Spatial and temporal variation in toadfish (Opsanus tau) and cusk eel (Ophidion marginatum) mating choruses in eelgrass (Zostera marina) beds in a shallow, temperate estuary

Passive acoustic recordings were made at two sites over a four-month period in eelgrass beds in a shallow estuary (Shinnecock Bay, New York, USA). Recordings were dominated by mating calls of striped cusk eels (Ophidion marginatum) at one site, and oyster toadfish (Opsanus tau) mating calls at the other. Cusk eel call characteristics (frequency and pulse period) varied significantly with time and water temperature. Fundamental frequency of...