Assessment of fighting ability in the vocal cichlid Metriaclima zebra in face of incongruent audiovisual information

Information transfer between individuals typically depends on multiple sensory channels. Yet, how multi-sensory inputs shape adaptive behavioural decisions remains largely unexplored. We tested the relative importance of audio and visual sensory modalities in opponent size assessment in the vocal cichlid fish, Metriaclima zebra, by playing back mismatched agonistic sounds mimicking larger or smaller opponents during fights of size-matched males. Trials consisted in three 5-min periods: PRE (visual), PBK (acoustic+visual) and POST (visual). During PBK agonistic sounds of smaller (high frequency or low amplitude) or larger (low frequency or high amplitude) males were played back interactively. As a control, we used white noise and silence. We show that sound frequency but not amplitude affects aggression, indicating that spectral cues reliably signal fighting ability. In addition, males reacted to the contrasting audio-visual information by giving prevalence to the sensory channel signalling a larger opponent. Our results suggest that fish can compare the relevance of information provided by different sensory inputs to make behavioural decisions during fights, which ultimately contributes to their individual fitness. These findings have implications for our understanding of the role of multi-sensory inputs in shaping behavioural output during conflicts in vertebrates.