Marine fishes use sound for critical functions, including foraging, competition, and reproductive activities. Despite the biological significance of these sounds, research on the applicability of sound profiles to discriminate between fish species is limited. This study aimed to characterise and differentiate the vocalisations of Haemulon aurolineatum, Haemulon parra, and Haemulon squamipinna off the northeastern Brazilian coast. Seventy-two individuals were recorded, with 140 vocalisations per species. The analyses revealed a grunt profile with significant variation in time parameters across all species, characterised by irregular pulses with variable frequencies (1.8 to 5.9 kHz) and a dominant frequency of approximately 0.75 kHz. Differences among species were observed, with H. aurolineatum showing the highest values in most parameters. Cross-validation tests indicated an overall rate of 69.5% of single sounds correctly assigned to species. Haemulon squamipinna was the most discernible species, while H. parra had the lowest prediction accuracy, showing intermediate sound parameter values. The analysis of pharyngeal jaws revealed minor differences in morphology and tooth distribution in H. parra, but these could not be linked to sound differentiation. Our results indicate that it is feasible to distinguish Haemulon species using the sound characteristics of their vocalisations, offering new insights into their sound communication.
Haemulon, grunt, sound characterisation, species-specific sounds, pharyngeal jaws, stridulation mechanism