The development of tactile social interactions in Corydoras aeneus larvae

[Horlack]

Title : The development of tactile social interactions in Corydoras aeneus larvae

Authors: Riva J. Riley , Thomas P. Roe , Elizabeth R. Gillie and Andrea Manica
Online Publication Date : 20 May 2020, ISSN-1568539X
Magazine: Behaviour, advance access
Type: : Open Access, Journal Article
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/1568539X-bja10011
HTML : https://brill.com/view/journals/beh/aop ... a10011.xml
PDF : https://brill.com/downloadpdf/journals/ ... a10011.pdf

Many social animals acquire social behaviours during development, and social experience during development can be vital for acquiring necessary social behaviours in adulthood. We investigated the development of a distinctive tactile interaction behaviour in Bronze Cory catfish, in which adults interact with one another tactilely during foraging and during group responses to threats. We found that larvae respond to applied tactile stimulation with a flight response significantly less often as larvae matured. This habituation to tactile stimulation is consistent with developing appropriate adult social behaviour. We also found that social exposure affects the larval response to tactile interactions with conspecifics, and that isolation in early life leads to a greater likelihood of responding to tactile interactions with conspecifics with a flight response. This suggests that social exposure is important for developing social tactile interaction behaviour and underscores the particular importance of early experience in social development.

Keywords:
development; ontogeny; sociality; tactile interactions; social isolation; Corydoras

[Horlack]

This impact is enormous. Because to separate the fry from the parents (nursery aquarium), you will have future corydoras, with out of phase social behavior. The social, interactive and tactile aspect is very important for corydoras. They need a behavioral model (parents) very early (Learning by mimicry, on a model). So all fish farms are wrong, and at least 9/10 of breeders are wrong, to make nursery aquariums, to maximize the survival rate of their fry. If we want corydoras, with the best group behavior, then the fry must be with the adults everytime !
With a nursery-aquarium (usually without adults), you may increase the survival rate, but you will decrease the quality of their social behavior.