The shoaling behavior of two cyprinid species in conspecific and heterospecific groups

Mixed-species shoals of fish are frequently found in the field; however, little is known about individual-level interactions within these groups. We examined the collective motion of two cyprinid species (Chinese bream, Parabramis pekinensis, and qingbo, Spinibarbus sinensis) that occupy partially overlapping habitats but differ in social behavior (high vs low aggressiveness) and preferred flow regime (slow vs fast water velocity). We extracted measures of collective motion from video recordings of eight replicate groups of four individuals of either Chinese bream or qingbo (conspecific group) or two Chinese bream plus two qingbo (heterospecific group). Chinese bream in conspecific groups showed lower percent time moving and mean swimming speed but a similar speed while moving as compared to the qingbo conspecific groups. However, the difference in mean swimming speed and percent time moving vanished in the heterospecific group as Chinese bream elevated their swimming activity to coordinate with qingbo. This finding suggests that the two species may share similar interaction rules regarding shoaling behavior. The conspecific groups of qingbo exhibited a greater distance between group members than Chinese bream, suggesting a difference in cohesion. However, the inter-individual distances of all fish were similar in the heterospecific group. Qingbo in the heterospecific group swam more frequently at the front compared to Chinese bream, possibly due to their higher activity level. We also measured the startle response to an artificial stimulus and found that there was no significant difference among groups. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that in the heterospecific groups, Chinese bream elevated their percent time moving while qingbo decreased their inter-individual distance to achieve consistent collective movement; thus, the two species showed similar behavior in the mixed-species group.