Prey fish species can respond to the presence of predators using a variety of antipredatory behaviors to reduce their risk of being consumed. As such behaviors may also imply fitness costs, the ability of prey to perceive and appropriately respond to the predation threat is crucial to determine the persistence of its populations. Little is known whether antipredatory behaviors adopted by prey fish species are predator-specific or a general strategy employed regardless of predator species. Here, we used two phylogenetically close piscivorous fish species (Hoplias sp. 2 and Hoplerythrinus unitaeniatus) with similar morphology and foraging strategy (ambushing) to test whether prey (Moenkhausia sanctaefilomenae and Astyanax lacustris) behavioral responses were related to predator species identity. We video recorded and evaluated prey refuge use, habitat segregation, shoal formation, and mobility in microcosms before and after the addition of each predator. We found that M. sanctaefilomenae responded to the addition of Hoplias sp. 2 by reducing its mobility and keeping as far as possible from the predator location in a vigilant state, while shoal formation was employed regardless of predator species. On the other hand, A. lacustris had a consistent response to the presence of predators with no adjustment for predator species. We conclude that antipredatory responses may vary according to predator characteristics not obviously related to their morphology and foraging behavior, such as predator activity level and habitat use.

被捕食的鱼类可以使用各种反掠夺行为来应对捕食者的存在，以降低它们被食用的风险。由于此类行为也可能意味着适应成本，因此猎物感知和适当应对捕食威胁的能力对于确定其种群的持久性至关重要。鲜为人知的是，被猎物鱼类采用的反捕食行为是捕食者特有的，还是一种不考虑捕食者物种而采用的一般策略。在这里，我们使用具有相似形态和觅食策略（伏击）的两种系统发育接近的食鱼鱼类（Hoplias sp. 2 和Hoplerythrinus unitaeniatus）来测试猎物（Moenkhausia sanctaefilomenae和Astyanax lacustris）) 行为反应与捕食者物种身份有关。我们对每个捕食者加入之前和之后的微观世界中的猎物避难所使用、栖息地隔离、浅滩形成和移动性进行了视频记录和评估。我们发现M . sanctaefilomenae对加入Hoplias sp.做出了反应。2 通过减少其移动性并尽可能远离捕食者位置保持警惕，同时无论捕食者种类如何，都采用浅滩形成。另一方面，A . 湖泊对捕食者的存在有一致的反应，而没有对捕食者物种进行调整。我们得出的结论是，反捕食反应可能会根据捕食者特征而有所不同，而捕食者特征与它们的形态和觅食行为没有明显关系，例如捕食者活动水平和栖息地使用。