In Teleostei, the evolution of the ability to produce sounds has provided a great diversity of sonic mechanisms, even at the intrafamilial level. However, the constraints modulating the evolution of sound-producing mechanisms and hearing structures are very little supported by comparative anatomy studies and it is not determined in fish if the evolutionary constraints are related to intraspecific communication or environmental characteristics. Serrasalmidae (Characiformes) are neotropical freshwater fishes inhabiting most of the major river systems in South America. This family is currently divided into three clades: the « pacu », the « Myleus » and the « piranha » clades. The ability to produce sounds has been reported in some species belonging to the « piranha » clade, within the genera Pygocentrus and Serrasalmus. The ability to detect sounds has been reported only in Pygocentrus nattereri. This thesis aims to improve our knowledge on acoustic communication in the family Serrasalmidae. The main goal was to determine, in a phylogenetic context, whether soundproducing and -detecting apparatuses coevolved within this family. The hypothesis is that the species having developped the most complex sound-producing mechanisms also improved their ability to discriminate different types of sounds. An alternative hypothesis is that auditory ablities are more related to the biology of fishes: carnivorous species would have better hearing than herbivorous species to locate their living prey. The ability to produce and detect sounds was therefore investigated using different techniques in a large panel of serrasalmid species. The ability to produce sounds is uneven in the family Serrasalmidae. In the « pacu » clade, Piaractus brachypomus produces single low frequency pulses by contracting its hypaxial musculature. In the « Myleus » clade, several species belonging to the genera Myleus and Myloplus produced no sound, whatever the experimental conditions. In the « piranha » clade, Pygopristis denticulata and Catoprion mento produce sounds composed of a varying number of pulses. They possess a sonic muscle extending from the second rib to the first rib (P. denticulata) or to the swimbladder (C. mento). Pygocentrus spp. and Serrasalmus spp., as well as Catoprion mento, are able to utter drumming sounds (tonal vocalizations characterized by the presence of harmonics in the power spectrum) when hand-held. Sonic muscles of the genera Pygocentrus and Serrasalmus originate at the base of the second rib and attach to a tendon surrounding the swimbladder ventrally. Investigation of the auditory system morphology in various serrasalmid species showed that the hearing structures (otoliths and Weberian ossicles) are similar in overall shape and position in all the species investigated. Moreover, hearing range and hearing sensitivity are quite comparable among the species, despite differences in life-history traits (vocal vs. nonvocal and herbivorous vs. carnivorous species). Therefore, hearing capacities are not related to the ability to produce sounds or to the diet. Acoustic communication appears to be of importance within carnivorous species since the most sensitive hearing range covers the frequency spectrum of acoustic signals. However, hearing ability is not related to the capacity to emit sounds. The auditory system seems to be highly conserved within this family, suggesting that it was shaped by other constraints than acoustic communication. Sonic organs developed secondarily in the most derived species and could be related to their radiation.