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Yellowline arrow crab Stenorhynchus seticornis (Brachyura: Majidae) acting as a cleaner of reef fish, eastern Brazil

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Abstract

This paper reports the yellowline arrow crab, Stenorhynchus seticornis, acting as cleaner of longjaw squirrelfish, Holocentrus adscencionis moray eels Gymnothorax funebris, G. moringa, G. vicinus and squirrelfish Holocentrus adscencionis at two reefs in the Baía de Todos os Santos, Bahia State, eastern Brazil. We believe that other species of reef fish are potential ‘clients’ of yellowline arrow crab and that this activity occurs throughout its distribution.

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... In this study, P. paru was observed for the first time as a cleaner of Guachancho Barracuda and White Grunt. Other facultative cleaner fishes reported for the Caribbean were observed (Côté 2000;DeLoach et al. 2019): such as Spanish hogfish Bodianus rufus, Royal Gramma Gramma loreto, queen angelfish Holacanthus ciliaris, and spotted drum Equetus punctatus, furthermore, cleaner crustaceans as Stenorhynchus seticornis (Medeiros et al. 2011) and Stenopus hispidus . ...
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The cleaning symbiosis in coral reef fish is one of the most remarkable mutualist marine interactions; the main actors are cleaner and client fishes, that communicate via tactile and visual stimulation, and the specific sites where this interaction happens are called cleaning stations. The removal of ectoparasites is a contribution to the health of clients, which may have an important role as herbivores or carnivores, and therefore also a contribution for a healthy ecosystem. The aim of this work was to identify the cleaning interaction as an indicator of reef health in the center-south of the Mexican Caribbean. Hence, we located and described the cleaning stations and the attributes of cleaner and client fishes for three climatic seasons in four locations with different degrees of conservation (i.e., time since declaration as protected areas), in the biosphere reserves of Sian Ka’an and Mexican Caribbean. Bluehead Thalassoma bifasciatum was the dominant cleaner fish in the dry and north-wind seasons, and it interacted with 27 species of client fishes year-round. The frequency of client fishes changes with the seasons; parrotfishes are the favorite clients in the dry season, and surgeonfishes for the north-wind season. We recorded for the first time high-hat Pareques acuminatus acting as a cleaner. Cleaning stations are more numerous in Mahahual, the location with the highest human impact; however, the higher structural complexity and area of this reef can explain the observed diversity of the client and cleaner species.
... Our findings, together with those in [38], highlight that the informality, and the lack of compliance to current regulations and adequate policies make it an unsustainable economic activity. The informality is largely associated with the bureaucracy that prevents many of those in the Table 3 The 10 most advertised (according to data collected from 74 sellers of native organisms) marine ornamental invertebrate species in Brazil, with observations on whether it functions as cleaner species (see [51,99,100]), its conservation status at the Brazilian (Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity -ICMBio) and global (International Union for Conservation of Nature -IUCN) levels [96,101], and Brazilian authorities' stance on capture and trade. Data for additional species can be found at Supplementary Table S2 LC, NT, VU, EN, NE and DD refer to "least concern", "near threatened", "vulnerable", "endangered", "not evaluated" and "data deficient". ...
Article
The marine aquarium trade often depends on organisms collected from reef environments. However, reefs are declining because of multiple anthropogenic stressors, and sustaining functional diversity is critical for maintaining reef resilience. Collection of organisms for the aquarium trade is growing in the Southwestern Atlantic, particularly in Brazil, but there is a lack of studies on its potential ecological impacts on Brazilian reefs. Therefore, we (i) gathered data on the native fish and invertebrate species exported (2012-2018) and traded internally (2019) through governmental databases and use of the snowball method, and (ii) using interaction network analyses, assessed whether overharvesting the most targeted cleaner species would disrupt the ecological function of cleaning mutualisms. Results show that 90 % of the fish exported between 2011 and 2018 belonged to 10 species, with three of them considered cleaner and with no prohibited and endemic species. The internal trade, however, included two prohibited species, three endemics and four cleaners within its top five. For invertebrates, there were four prohibited species and three cleaners in the top ten. Removal of the three most traded cleaner fish species from the mutualistic networks severely reduced number of interactions. Therefore, unlike the external trade, the internal market of marine ornamentals in Brazil is often associated with illegal practices and targets cleaning organisms in a way that may add pressure to an already fragile environment. We argue that this scenario is a consequence of lack of ordinance and adequate policies, that need prompt reassessment.
... Concerning other crabs, while Platypodiella spectabilis (Herbst, 1794) and Stenorhynchus seticornis (Herbst, 1788) are traded mainly for their color pattern and unique features, respectively -in spite of the latter also act as a cleaner of reef fish (Medeiros et al. 2011), the algae-eating crabs Mithrax spp. and Mithraculus forceps (Milne-Edwards, 1875) (Olivotto et al. 2011), are desired to control the growth of unwanted bubble algae Valonia spp. ...
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Brazil has an important role in marine ornamental trade, exploiting native species for both international and domestic market. A few works have previously assessed wild species exploited by the Brazilian marine aquarium industry and most of them focused solely on fish. Hence, the present paper intends to address an information gap regarding the species currently traded in the country, as well as concerning their conservation statuses. Thus, different sources of information were investigated and each species was categorized in accordance with existing lists of threatened species. A wide variety of native species was identified in Brazilian marine aquarium trade, including not only fish but also invertebrates, seaweeds and macrophytes. Some of these species were legally protected, but are still commerced anyway. Such illegal exploitation of native species causes increasing concerns about the sustainability of the activity. Therefore, in order to reduce environmental impacts caused by marine ornamental trade, Brazilian authorities should encourage the implementation of eco-fees, the purchase of eco-labeled aquarium products, the development of sustainable ornamental aquaculture and ecosystem-based management initiatives.
... S. debilis was likely to be selective in its diet (Crane 1937 p. 50). Members of the genus Stenopus, Lysmata, Mithraculus, Thor, Clibanarius and Stenorhynchus are symbiotic cleaning crews so part of their diet could be naturally provided in the aquarium (Medeiros et al. 2011;Wirtz et al. 2009). In fact, the criteria to choose artificial fed for opportunistic omnivorous crabs should consider that even a minor morphologic variation can open to additional food choices and/or modify behavior (Allardyce and Linton 2010; Claverie and Smith 2007;Creswell and Mardsen 1990;Dahdouh-Guebas et al. 1999;Huber et al. 2000;Mariappan et al. 2009;Monteforte 1987;Parsons 1998, 2000;Squires 2003;Vermeij 1978;Williams 1981Williams , 1982. ...
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Ornamental marine species from the tropical west American coast are poorly known although many of them are being commercialized since a while ago. For example, yellow-arrow spider crabs, Stenorhynchus debilis (Brachyura: Inachidea), are frequently found for sale in web-based stores and as tenants into domestic aquaria. Therefore, the interest in studying the species’ requirements for management in land-based conditions is pertinent. This paper examines S. debilis as experimental actor. Specimens were collected along May to August 2015 into cultivation artifacts designed for pearl oysters farming at La Paz bay, Gulf of California. Five experiments were prepared towards two main objectives viewing at the practical framework of ornamental marine species: (1) Find the species’ profile into selected tests. Data included: anesthetic therapies, acute responses to temperature and salinity, special effects (food and feeding, density, sex-ratio, size, shelters, and handling in general), and notes concerning ovigerous females, eggs and larvae, and (2) Evaluate outputs seeking explanations for growth, survival and performances as a function of tropical-temperate and small-crab criteria. Our results agreed with expected bio-benchmarks overall, so did as to consistency of highlights regarding compatibility in domestic aquaria, and species-dependent aspects. Nevertheless, growth happened in a diet experiment even if only one crab out of the 24 under test displayed an incomplete –deadly—molt. A triangular-like Size Index was assessed, finding that two of the three food types tested had promoted better performance. Finally, this paper may contribute with some updates for the still incomplete mosaic of knowledge about ornamental marine crabs.
... The low number of existing records involving cleaning of cryptobenthic fish could be related to four possible explanations: (1) their small size, cryptic colouration and habitats could hamper the observation of possible cleaning interactions when these were happening (despite the common disruptive colouration of the cleaners); (2) the interaction might happen in hidden or camouflaged places, where cryptobenthic species live, eventually visited by facultative cleaners that do not always have fixed territories as cleaning stations; (3) the low mobility of these species makes the access to a cleaner even harder, and so they might consider using other strategies to remove ectoparasites or other unwanted body parts; (4) considering the third explanation, we ask whether: cryptic invertebrates (generally shrimps or crabs) could be main cleaners of cryptobenthic reef fish. In fact, Sampaio et al. (2008) and Medeiros et al. (2011) reported the opportunistic observed cleaning behaviour of grapsidae crabs, which were cleaning two cryptobenthic reef fish [L. nuchipinnis and the green moray Gymnothorax funebris Ranzani, 1839 (Muraenidae]. ...
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The French angelfish Pomacanthus paru (Pomacanthidae) is recognised as an important cleaner in tropical reef environments, yet its clients remain relatively undescribed in the literature. Here, we report observations of their cleaning behaviour when interacting with different species of cryptobenthic fish clients. The study was conducted in Bahia state, northeast Brazil. In this region, French angelfish were seen cleaning four different species of cryptobenthic species, respectively, Coryphopterus glaucofraenum, Scorpaena plumieri, Labrisomus cricota, and Scartella cristata. These records show the broad spectra of clients that cleaners interact with in coral reef systems, as well as give important insights into the poorly known cryptobenthic fishes habits and ecology.
... Although information regarding the community structure of Brazilian reef fishes is relatively widespread, the majority of the studies undertaken were performed on tropical coral reefs and rocky shores in temperate zones (EBELING;HIXON, 1991). In comparison, there are few studies involving the associations among fishes on tropical rocky shores (CONI et al., 2007NUNES et al., 2007aNUNES et al., , 2007bMEDEIROS et al., 2009a;2009b;MAIA-NOGUEIRA et al., 2010;MEDEIROS et al., 2011). Thus this region still remains largely unknown. ...
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Os costões rochosos do Atlântico Sul Ocidental sustentam ricas comunidades de peixes recifais. Apesar disso, o conhecimento sobre essas comunidades em zonas tropicais continua escasso, especialmente no Brasil. No presente trabalho avaliamos parâmetros das comunidades de peixes recifais, tais como composição e estrutura trófica, além de sua interação com variáveis físicas e bióticas, em quatro costões rochosos tropicais na Baía de Todos os Santos, costa leste do Brasil. Durante seis meses 80 censos visuais foram realizados, nos quais 3.582 peixes pertencentes a 76 espécies foram registrados. Os peixes herbívoros territoriais e as algas filamentosas dominaram em todos os costões. A variação espacial na estrutura da comunidade de peixes esteve relacionada com a composição bêntica e profundidade. A elevada abundância observada de peixes herbívoros territoriais e invertívoros móveis pode ser devido à alta cobertura de algas filamentosas e à baixa profundidade e exposição às ondas. Além disso, esse padrão também pode ser explicado pela baixa densidade de herbívoros errantes e grandes carnívoros, provavelmente devido à intensa pressão da atividade pesqueira. Assim, novos estudos são necessários para avaliar o real estado de conservação destes ambientes, uma vez que estão localizados em posição singular na Baía de Todos os Santos, conectando recifes internos e externos da área.
... It is also often found associated with the long-spined urchin Diadema antillarum (Philippi, 1845), the urchin spines providing increased protection Hayes et al. 1998;Hayes 2007). Individuals were also seen interacting with sea anemones and using them as protection from predation (Barr 1975;Herrnkind et al. 1976;Williams 1984;Hayes et al. 1998;Cobo 2002;Okamori & Cobo 2003; see also Medeiros et al. 2011). Wicksten (2011 noticed that in nature and in aquaria Stenorhynchus, as in inachids, can crowd together ("huddle") with their appendages tightly folded against the body. ...
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A new inachoidid genus Paulita n. gen. is established for Paradasygyius tuberculatus (Lemos de Castro, 1949), from the western Atlantic. Paulita tuberculata (Lemos de Castro, 1949) n. comb. differs from Paradasygyius depressus (Bell, 1835), from the eastern Pacific, the type species and only remaining species of Paradasygyius Garth, 1958, by a number of characters mainly related to the carapace, thoracic sternum, abdomen, and first gonopod. Paulita n. gen. shares the diagnostic characters of Inachoididae Dana, 1851, in particular the latero-external parts of pleurites 5-8 that extend beyond each side of the carapace and are calcified and ornamented like the carapace, resulting in the insertion of the carapace into a setting gutter. Stenorhynchus Lamarck, 1818, is transferred from Inachidae to Inachoididae, and the subfamily Stenorhynchinae Dana, 1851, is resurrected. Inachoididae now consists of at least two subfamilies: Inachoidinae Dana, 1851, and Stenorhynchinae, whereas the status of Salaciinae H. Milne Edwards & Lucas, 1842, remains uncertain. The status of several other American genera traditionally included in Inachidae is discussed, leading to the recognition of the following subfamilies besides the Inachinae emend.: Podochelinae Neumann, 1878, which is here resurrected, Anomalopodinae Stimpson, 1871, and perhaps also Eucinetopinae Števčić, 2005.
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We describe cleaning behaviour of the shrimp Stenopus spinosus from Madeira Island and a probably case of cleaning behaviour by the lobster Enoplometopus antillensis from Bonaire Island. Additional reports of cleaning behaviour by decapod crustaceans, not mentioned in a recent review (Vaughan et al. 2016), were gathered from the literature. Incidental cleaning (where cleaners feed on epiphytic algae, invertebrates or debris on the body surface of another animal as they might from any other suitable substrate) most likely is the starting point for the evolution of true cleaning symbioses, which involves cooperation of the host species.
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Numerous location-based diet studies have been published describing different aspects of invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans and Pterois miles) feeding ecology, but there has been no synthesis of their diet composition and feeding patterns across regional gradients. 8125 lionfish stomachs collected from 10 locations were analyzed to provide a generalized description of their feeding ecology at a regional scale and to compare their diet among locations. Our regional data indicate lionfish in the western Atlantic are opportunistic generalist carnivores that consume at least 167 vertebrate and invertebrate prey species across multiple trophic guilds, and carnivorous fish and shrimp prey that are not managed fishery species and not considered at risk of extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature disproportionately dominate their diet. Correlations between lionfish size and their diet composition indicate lionfish in the western Atlantic transition from a shrimp-dominated diet to a fish-dominated diet through ontogeny. Lionfish total length (TL) (mm) was found to predict mean prey mass per stomach (g) by the following equation mean prey mass =0.0002*TL1.6391, which can be used to estimate prey biomass consumption from lionfish length-frequency data. Our locational comparisons indicate lionfish diet varies considerably among locations, even at the group (e.g., crab) and trophic guild levels. The Modified Index of Relative Importance developed specifically for this study, calculated as the frequency of prey a × the number of prey a, can be used in other diet studies to assess prey importance when prey mass data are not available. Researchers and managers can use the diet data presented in this study to make inference about lionfish feeding ecology in areas where their diet has yet to be described. These data can be used to guide research and monitoring efforts, and can be used in modeling exercises to simulate the potential effects of lionfish on marine food webs. Given the large variability in lionfish diet composition among locations, this study highlights the importance of continued location-based diet assessments to better inform local management activities.
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The richness of common names of Brazilian reef fishes is high (7.2 names per species) and mostly so if the species are commercially important. The high richness of names for easily seen species such as reef fishes represents one of the Berlin's attributes leading to the naming process of living things. The attribute 'size' was also tested and indicated that species of intermediate size receive more names than smaller or larger ones. These names have several origins, but come mainly from Latin or native languages (Tupi/Tupi-Guarani). Several categories of words are used in these names as core or modifiers: non-fish animals, morphology, plants, persons, color pattern, behavior, taste/smell, habitat/ecology, size, and locality/area. A list of unique common names is proposed for all 547 reef fish species found in Brazil based on the available array of names. We suggest these names are used whenever cited in a national context.
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The richness of common names of Brazilian reef fishes is high (7.2 names per species) and mostly so if the species are commercially important. The high richness of names for easily seen species such as reef fishes represents one of the Berlin's attributes leading to the naming process of living things. The attribute 'size' was also tested and indicated that species of intermediate size receive more names than smaller or larger ones. These names have several origins, but come mainly from Latin or native languages (Tupi/Tupi-Guarani). Several categories of words are used in these names as core or modifiers: non-fish animals, morphology, plants, persons, color pattern, behavior, taste/smell, habitat/ecology, size, and locality/area. A list of unique common names is proposed for all 547 reef fish species found in Brazil based on the available array of names. We suggest these names are used whenever cited in a national context. Resumo. Riqueza de nomes comuns de peixes recifais brasileiros. A riqueza de nomes comuns de peixes recifais brasileiros é elevada (7,2 nomes por espécie), principalmente para espécies que são comercialmente importantes. A elevada riqueza de nomes de espécies facilmente visíveis como as de peixes recifais representa um dos atributos de Berlin que leva ao processo de atribuição de nomes às coisas vivas. O atributo 'tamanho' foi também testado e indicou que espécies de tamanho intermediário recebem mais nomes do que espécies menores ou maiores. Estes nomes têm várias origens, mas vêm principalmente do Latim ou de línguas nativas (Tupi/Tupi-Guarani). Muitas categorias de palavras são usadas nestes nomes, como núcleo ou como modificadores: outros animais que não peixes, morfologia, plantas, pessoas, padrão de cor, comportamento, sabor/cheiro, habitat/ecologia, tamanho e localidade/área. Uma lista de nomes comuns únicos é proposta para todas as 547 espécies de peixes recifais encontradas no Brasil baseada nos nomes disponíveis. Sugerimos que esses nomes sejam usados sempre que forem citados em um contexto nacional. Palavras-Chave: nome comum, nomenclatura popular, atributos de Berlin..
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Diurnal reef fishes compose the bulk of clients that seek cleaner fishes' services, but some nocturnal species that shelter at daytime also seek the cleaners. While doing so the nocturnal clients must leave their hiding places and thus they get exposed to potential diurnal predators. We report here on the cleaning interactions between a daytime cleaner wrasse (Thalassoma noronhanum) and a night time active client (Pempheris schomburgki) that usually remains sheltered at daytime. We recorded P. schomburgki leaving their shelter at daytime and heading towards T. noronhanum, whenever the cleaner swam by the shelter. Since T. noronhanum is able to tend temporary cleaning station near the safety of the shelters of its clients, P. schomburgki lessens a possible risk of predation by seeking this versatile cleaner. Peixes recifais diurnos compõem a maioria dos clientes nas estações de peixes limpadores. Entretanto, algumas espécies com hábitos noturnos também procuram os peixes limpadores, ficando expostas a potenciais predadores diurnos quando precisam deixar seus abrigos. Registramos aqui as interações de limpeza entre um labrídeo diurno (Thalassoma noronhanum) e um cliente com hábitos noturnos (Pempheris schomburgki), que permanece abrigado durante o dia. Esta espécie de cliente deixa seu abrigo durante o dia e nada em direção a T. noronhanum quando este limpador desloca-se próximo aos esconderijos. Uma vez que T. noronhanum é capaz de manter estações de limpeza temporárias, próximas aos abrigos dos clientes, P. schomburgki diminui uma possível exposição aos predadores quando procura esta espécie versátil de limpador.
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Associations of the hairy blenny Labrisomus nuchipinnis (Labrisomidae) are described for the first time from different observations made on the coast of Brazil, South Atlantic. The first involved a majid crab cleaning the fish and the second, another fish following closely a foraging hermit crab of the genus Paguristes (Diogenidae).
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This work reports Bodianus rufus (Labridae) cleaning three clients with nocturnal habits, Rypticus saponaceus (Serranidae), Myripristis jacobus (Holocentridae) and Odontoscion dentex (Sciaenidae) during the day. Our data reinforces the hypothesis that the proximity of temporary cleaning stations to nocturnal fish shelters reduces the exposure of clients to potential predators.
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Gobies of the genus Elacatinus are regarded as the most specialised cleaner fishes in the western tropical Atlantic, yet there are no studies on these cleaners in the southern portion of West Atlantic. We studied the diversity of clients and the daily cleaning activity of the barber goby, Elacatinus figaro, on rocky reefs in southeastern Brazil (23–24S). A total of 34 fish client species in 16 families were recorded over 484 cleaning events. The most frequent clients were damselfishes, Pomacentridae (37.9% of cleaning events) and grunts, Haemulidae (16.9%). Planktivores were the most frequently attended trophic category, and two species in that category accounted for about a half (44%) of the total cleaning events. Size of clients ranged 4.5–55cm and most individuals were medium-sized (12–30cm); as the barber goby ranged 2–4.5cm, clients were 1.5 to 15 times larger than the cleaner was. Cleaning activity started at dawn and ended shortly before nightfall, the highest frequency of interactions occurring at early morning (nocturnal clients) and mid-afternoon (diurnal clients). By midday the frequency of cleaning events decreased and their duration increased. A total of 1093 cleaning events and 301min of cleaning activity were estimated per cleaning station per day, both figures low when compared to those recorded for cleaner fishes in tropical areas of the western Atlantic and Indo-Pacific.
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Cleaning activity at specific cleaning stations was monitored over a depth range of 15–45 m at Salt River Submarine Canyon, St. Croix using the HYDROLAB underwater habitat. We observed over 4600 cleaning events involving 32 host species. Cleaners included the fishesGobiosoma evelynae (cleaning goby), juvenileBodianus rufus (Spanish hogfish) and juvenileThalassoma bifasciatum (bluehead wrasse) and the shrimpPericlimenes pedersoni, often active simultaneously at the same stations. Although cleaning was observed to depths of 30 m, the greatest density of cleaning fishes occurred at a sharp break in the bottom contour at 15 m.Clepticus parrae was the dominant fish cleaned by fishes (80% of events), and the graysby,Petrometopon cruentatum, was most frequently cleaned byPericlimenes. Cleaning was initiated byGobiosoma at 0600 to 0630 h and continued throughout the day as intense bouts of cleaning activity were interspersed with periods of relative calm.Bodianus patrolled areas of several meters and would sometimes rise over a meter above the substrate to initiate cleaning. In contrast, gobies were much more restricted in both lateral and vertical movements.Gobiosoma andBodianus cleaned 3104 and 1346 hosts during the study compared to only 207 forThalassoma. This study of a deeper reef area shows significantly more cleaning activity byBodianus and much less byThalassoma than has been reported from other studies in shallower water
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Cleaner fishes are usually classified as obligate or facultative cleaners according to their diet and the extent to which their nutritional requirements in the different ontogenetic stages are gained from cleaning. While obligate cleaners clean throughout their lives and ingest mainly food taken from the clients’ body surface, facultative cleaners clean only as juveniles and have a broader diet. In addition, some facultative cleaners may experience a relatively higher predation risk, and thus rarely interact with piscivorous fishes. Despite these acknowledged differences, there are very few studies that compare cleaning activity of obligate and facultative cleaners within the same area. Cleaning activity of the obligate cleaner goby Elacatinus cf. randalli and the facultative cleaner wrasse Thalassoma noronhanum were comparatively examined at Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, tropical West Atlantic. The client assemblage attended by the two cleaners differed, as the goby attended a slightly greater diversity of species (22), mostly piscivores and zoobenthivores, and the wrasse attended fewer species (19), mostly planktivores. Chromis multilineata was the most common client species of both cleaners, although body size (which is expected to be positively correlated to clients’ ectoparasite load) of C. multilineata individuals attended by the goby was larger than that of the individuals attended by the wrasse. Despite such differences, T. noronhanum showed a surprisingly species-rich client assemblage when compared with other cleaners of the genus Thalassoma. In addition, the frequency and time spent on cleaning interactions, as well as the number of client species attended per 10-min period, was similar for both cleaner species, which indicate that they have important yet complimentary ecological roles in the reef community at Fernando de Noronha Archipelago.
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Most research on cleaning symbioses on coral reefs has focused on fish clients being cleaned by smaller fishes. While many shrimps and other crustaceans are reported as cleaners, whether they remove parasites from fish hosts and can effectively regulate populations of ectoparasites is unclear. The effects of Pederson shrimp (Periclimenes pedersoni), spotted shrimp (P. yucatanicus), and banded coral shrimp (Stenopus hispidus), on the parasitic monogenean Neobenedenia melleni on a host reef fish, blue tang (Acanthurus coeruleus), were investigated. The abundance and size of N. melleni from fish with and without access to shrimps in a semi-natural macrocosm was quantified. P. pedersoni had a strong effect on both the abundance and size of parasites. In contrast, P. yucatanicus and S. hispidus had no effect on the abundance of parasites but had a small yet statistically significant effect on average size. These data suggest that P. pedersoni can play a significant role in the biological regulation of at least some ectoparasites on Caribbean reef fishes, but further suggest that some other shrimps regarded as “cleaners” may have little or no effectiveness at removing parasites and underscore the need for further verification before this term is applied. KeywordsAcanthuridae-Cleaning symbiosis-Ectoparasites-Coral reefs-Anemone
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Mutualisms, in which both participants gain a net benefit, are ubiquitous in all ecosystems, and the importance of understanding their broader ecological context has been demonstrated many times. Indirect effects of mutualisms may have important implications for surrounding ecosystems through changes in density, species composition, or behavior; however, the latter has been difficult to quantify. In fish cleaning mutualisms, cleaners benefit by removing and consuming ectoparasites from clients, whereas clients benefit from a reduction in parasite load. Cleaner fish are also thought to benefit from immunity to predation and use tactile stimulation as a preconflict management strategy to manipulate partners' decisions and to avoid being eaten by piscivorous client fish. Here we show, using a laboratory experiment, that the presence of cleaner fish resulted in nearby fish not involved in the cleaner--client mutualism experiencing less aggression (chases) from predatory clients. In addition, the rate that piscivorous clients chased prey was negatively correlated with the amount of tactile stimulation given to the predator by the cleaner. These data suggest that, in the laboratory, the risk of aggression from predators toward nearby prey fish was greatly reduced as a by-product of cleaner fish presence and tactile stimulation of predators by cleaner fish. These results raise the question of whether cleaning stations act as safe havens from predator aggression. Copyright 2008, Oxford University Press.
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We have found that two very common species of North Atlantic shallow water shrimp, Palaemon adspersus and Palaemon elegans, remove and feed on ectoparasites on plaice (Pleuronectes platessa L.). The relationship could be mutualistic, as we did not observe any attempts by the fishes to feed on the shrimps. The ectoparasites removed included monogenean worms (Gyrodactylus sp.) and sea lice (Lepeophtheirus pectoralis). An experiment showed that there were 65% more Gyrodactylus parasites on the fishes that had been apart from compared with those that had been together with shrimps for 48h. Shrimps on coral reefs are known for cleaning fishes, but that shrimps in temperate waters show parasite-cleaning behaviour is, to our knowledge, a new observation.
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Forty-two species of moray eels are found in the Hawaiian Islands; 40 species are described and illustrated, including two new species (two undescribed species of Anarchias will be treated later by other authors). Type specimens of most nominal species have been re-examined, holotypes located (especially for Bleeker species), and lectotypes designated for five species; updated synonymies are listed, and explanatory notes are given. Valid species and their synonyms are summarized in tabular format. The morays of Hawaii include: Echidna nebulosa (Ahl), E. polyzona (Richardson); Enchelycore pardalis (Temminck and Schlegel); Enchelynassa canina (Quoy and Gaimard); Gymnomuraena zebra (Shaw); Gymnothorax albimarginatus (Temminck and Schlegel), G. atolli (Pietschmann), G. berndti Snyder, G. buroensis (Bleeker), G. chilospilus Bleeker, G. elegans Bliss, G. eurostus (Abbott), G. flavimarginatus (Rüppell), G. fuscomaculatus (Schultz), G. gracilicauda Jenkins, G. javanicus (Bleeker), G. kidako (Temminck and Schlegel), G. melatremus Schultz, G. meleagris (Shaw), G. nudivomer (Günther), G. nuttingi Snyder, G. pictus (Ahl), G. pindae Smith, G. polyspondylus n. sp., G. prismodon n. sp., G. rueppelliae (McClelland), G. steindachneri Jordan and Evermann, G. undulatus (Lacepède), G. ypsilon Hatooka and Randall; Monopenchelys acuta (Parr); Anarchias leucurus Snyder, A. seychellensis Smith; Scuticaria okinawae (Jordan and Snyder), S. tigrina (Lesson); Uropterygius fuscoguttatus Schultz, U. inornatus Gosline, U. macrocephalus (Bleeker), U. marmoratus (Lacepède), U. polyspilus (Regan), and U. supraforatus (Regan). LECTOTYPES are selected for Muraena polyzona Richardson, Gymnomuraena fasciata Kaup, Gymnothorax chilospilus Bleeker, Muraena mauritiana Kaup, and Muraena pfeifferi Bleeker.
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This investigation provides information on the biology of the spider crab, Mithraculus forceps, on the southeastern coast of Brazil. Monthly collections were carried out from January to December 2000, by SCUBA diving off Couves Island (23 degrees 25'25"S 44 degrees 52'03"W). A total of 436 crabs was obtained: 248 males and 188 females, with 108 females carrying eggs. The population showed a normal structure, and the sex ratio was 1 : 0.76 in favour of males. Individuals reached morphological maturity over a wide size range, between 6.7 mm and 13.9 rum carapace width (CW) for males and between 8.5 mm and 16.0 mm CW for females. Ovigerous females and recruits were recorded during the entire study period. No correlations were detected between the frequency of individuals and the selected environmental factors of water temperature, salinity, and light.
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The stomach contents of two species of sea stars, Astropecten articulatus and Luidia clathrata, have been examined to determine their feeding habits. The sea stars were collected from the west coast of Florida, the Texas coast and off the mouth of Chesapeake Bay.
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We investigated geographic variation in size and stage (instar) at maturity of snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) on the eastern Bering Sea shelf. Size-frequency distribution analysis showed that females can reach maturity at four different instars, presumably Instars VIII to XI. Geographic variation in instar structure generates clinal variation in size at maturity, from small size at high latitudes (colder) to large size at low latitudes (warmer). Different pieces of evidence support the hypothesis that geographic variation in mature female size is a phenotypic response to environmental conditions governed by a single reaction norm. Clinal variation conforms to the “inverse Bergmann's rule”. We argue that a single macroecological rule should not be expected to explain all latitudinal size gradients observed in marine invertebrates. Size at maturity fluctuated cyclically, and was negatively and significantly cross-correlated with strength in the recruitment of females to the mature population. Cycles in the latter were manifested as four commensurate and regularly spaced pulses over the last three decades. Mechanisms that may underlay this intriguing phenomenon, including density-dependent growth rate, require further scrutiny.
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The cleaning behaviour of juveniles of the Brazilian wrasse Halichoeres penrosei (Labridae) is described for the first time in the present paper. Diurnal free dive observations and photographs were taken in the shallow reefs of Porto da Barra. The cleaners' sizes varied from 3 to 7 cm, and clients' fish size varied from 8 to 20 cm. The wrasses cleaned for 2 to 30 seconds, the flanks were the most explored area of the clients' bodies. The cleaning activity we described was rare and opportunistic. Therefore, it is unlikely that H. penrosei is a specialized cleaner.
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The biology of the fourteen species of spider crabs occurring in the Isle of Man area was investigated, particular attention being given to their distribution, food, moulting cycle and breeding. The distribution of a species is related to the type of bottom deposit, and members of a genus have complementary distributions. There is a variable degree of diet selection and food availability is an important factor in determining distribution. The moult of puberty, which in all cases is the terminal eedysis, is well defined in all species. There are two patterns of breeding, one continuous throughout the year, the other with a single annual hatching. With few exceptions the relative growth of the chelae is allometric, exhibiting marked sexual dimorphism.
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Apart from cleaner fish, there are many reports on cleaning by shrimps, yet whether shrimps actually clean, i.e. eat parasites in the wild, has not been demonstrated. For the first time, we show that, conclusively, cleaner shrimp in the wild do clean. We found crustacean ectoparasites from the Family Gnathiidae and the Class Copepoda in the gut contents of wild cleaner shrimp, Urocaridella sp. and Periclimenes holthuisi. In addition, they ate parasitic monogenean flatworms, Benedenia sp., offered to them in the laboratory. Finally, P. holthuisi, significantly reduced monogenean, Benedenia sp., loads by 74.5% on captive surgeonfish Ctenochaetus striatus within 48h. Such large reductions in parasite loads are likely to benefit individual fish. These results emphasise the need for more information on the ecological role of cleaner shrimp on coral reefs.
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The most commonly asked question about cooperative interactions is how they are maintained when cheating is theoretically more profitable [1]. In cleaning interactions, where cleaners remove parasites from apparently cooperating clients, the classical question asked is why cleaner fish can clean piscivorous client fish without being eaten, a problem Trivers [2] used to explain reciprocal altruism. Trivers [2] suggested that predators refrain from eating cleaners only when the repeated removal of parasites by a particular cleaner results in a greater benefit than eating the cleaner. Although several theoretical models have examined cheating behavior in clients [3,4], no empirical tests have been done (but see Darcy [5]). It has been observed that cleaners are susceptible to predation [6, 7]. Thus, cleaners should have evolved strategies to avoid conflict or being eaten. In primates, conflicts are often resolved with conflict or preconflict management behavior [8]. Here, I show that cleaner fish tactically stimulate clients while swimming in an oscillating dancing manner (tactile dancing) more when exposed to hungry piscivorous clients than satiated ones, regardless of the client's parasite load. Tactile dancing thus may function as a preconflict management strategy that enables cleaner fish to avoid conflict with potentially dangerous clients.
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Signals transmit information to receivers about sender attributes, increase the fitness of both parties, and are selected for in cooperative interactions between species to reduce conflict [1, 2]. Marine cleaning interactions are known for stereotyped behaviors [3-6] that likely serve as signals. For example, "dancing" and "tactile dancing" in cleaner fish may serve to advertise cleaning services to client fish [7] and manipulate client behavior [8], respectively. Cleaner shrimp clean fish [9], yet are cryptic in comparison to cleaner fish. Signals, therefore, are likely essential for cleaner shrimp to attract clients. Here, we show that the yellow-beaked cleaner shrimp [10] Urocaridella sp. c [11] uses a stereotypical side-to-side movement, or "rocking dance," while approaching potential client fish in the water column. This dance was followed by a cleaning interaction with the client 100% of the time. Hungry cleaner shrimp, which are more willing to clean than satiated ones [12], spent more time rocking and in closer proximity to clients Cephalopholis cyanostigma than satiated ones, and when given a choice, clients preferred hungry, rocking shrimp. The rocking dance therefore influenced client behavior and, thus, appears to function as a signal to advertise the presence of cleaner shrimp to potential clients.
Cleaning activity among Labridae in the Azores: the rainbow wrasse Coris julis and the Azorean blue wrasse Centrolabrus caeruleus A review of the moray eels (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) of the Hawaiian Islands, with descrip-tion of two new species
  • A A Bertoncini
  • L F Machado
  • J P M Hostim-Silva
  • J R Verani
Bertoncini A.A., Machado L.F., Barreiros J.P., Hostim-Silva M. and Verani J.R. (2009) Cleaning activity among Labridae in the Azores: the rainbow wrasse Coris julis and the Azorean blue wrasse Centrolabrus caeruleus. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 89, 859 –861. doi: 10.1017/S002531540900040X Bö E.B. and Randall J.E. (2000) A review of the moray eels (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) of the Hawaiian Islands, with descrip-tion of two new species. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 150, 203 –278.
Obsenaçõ preliminares sobre o desenvolvimento larval do (aranguejo aranha) Sternorhynchus seti-cornis em laborató
  • G N Mendes
  • A R Valenç
Mendes G.N. and Valenç A.R. (2007) Obsenaçõ preliminares sobre o desenvolvimento larval do (aranguejo aranha) Sternorhynchus seti-cornis em laborató. Boletim do Instituto de Pesca 34, 325 –329.
Type catalogue of Indo-Pacific Muraenidae
  • E B Bö
  • D G Smith
Bö E.B. and Smith D.G. (2002) Type catalogue of Indo-Pacific Muraenidae. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 152, 89–172.
Guia para Identificaçã de Peixes Ornamentais. Volume I: Espé Marinhas The glassy sweepers' way: seeking a versatile wrasse to be cleaned
  • C L S Sampaio
  • M C Nottingham
Sampaio C.L.S. and Nottingham M.C. (2008) Guia para Identificaçã de Peixes Ornamentais. Volume I: Espé Marinhas. 1st edition. Brasí: Ediçõ IBAMA, 205 pp. Sazima C., Krajewski J.P., Bonaldo R.M. and Sazima I. (2005) The glassy sweepers' way: seeking a versatile wrasse to be cleaned. Neotropical Ichthyology 3, 119 –122.
2010) FishBase. World Wide Web elec-tronic publication Available from www.fishbase Cleaner fish use tactile dancing behaviour as a pre-conflict management strategy
  • R Froese
  • D Pauly
Froese R. and Pauly D. (eds) (2010) FishBase. World Wide Web elec-tronic publication. Available from www.fishbase.org./ Grutter A.S. (2004) Cleaner fish use tactile dancing behaviour as a pre-conflict management strategy. Current Biology 14, 1080–1083.
Reef creature identification: Florida, Caribbean, Bahamas. Jacksonville, FL: New World Publications
  • P Humann
  • N Deloach
Humann P. and Deloach N. (2003a) Reef creature identification: Florida, Caribbean, Bahamas. Jacksonville, FL: New World Publications. Humann P. and Deloach N. (2003b) Reef fish behavior: Florida, Caribbean, Bahamas. Jacksonville, FL: New World Publications, Inc., 359 pp.
Francini-Filho & Sazima and other studies reported fish as clients of invert-ebrates
  • Feitoza
Feitoza et al., 2002; Grutter, 2004; Coni et al., 2007, 2010; Francini-Filho & Sazima, 2008; Bertoncini et al., 2009), and other studies reported fish as clients of invert-ebrates (Johnson & Ruben, 1988; Van Tassell et al., 1994;
The Spanish hogfish Bodianus rufus (Labridae) acting as cleaner of nocturnal fish in the north-east of Brazil First record of cleaning activity in the slippery dick, Halichoeres bivittatus (Perciformes: Labridae), off northeastern Brazil
  • E O C Coni
  • J A. C. C Nunes
  • C M Ferreira
  • R Medeiros
  • D V Sampaio
  • C L S Dias
  • T L Gasparini
  • J L Rocha
Coni E.O.C., Nunes J.A.C.C., Ferreira C.M., Maia-Nogueira R., Medeiros D.V. and Sampaio C.L.S. (2010) The Spanish hogfish Bodianus rufus (Labridae) acting as cleaner of nocturnal fish in the north-east of Brazil. Marine Biodiversity Records 3, e23. doi: 10.1017/S1755267210000187 Feitoza B.M., Dias T.L., Gasparini J.L. and Rocha L.A. (2002) First record of cleaning activity in the slippery dick, Halichoeres bivittatus (Perciformes: Labridae), off northeastern Brazil. Aqua Journal of Ichthyology and Aquatic Biology 5, 73–76.
Handbook of ethological methods Effects of three Caribbean cleaner shrimps on ectoparasitic monogeneans in a semi-natural environment
  • P N Lehner
Lehner P.N. (1979) Handbook of ethological methods. New York: Garland STPM Press, 403 pp. McCammon A., Sikkel P.C. and Nemeth D. (2010) Effects of three Caribbean cleaner shrimps on ectoparasitic monogeneans in a semi-natural environment. Coral Reefs 29, 419 –426.
Guia para Identificação de Peixes Ornamentais. Volume I: Espécies Marinhas
  • C L S Sampaio
  • M C Nottingham
Sampaio C.L.S. and Nottingham M.C. (2008) Guia para Identificação de Peixes Ornamentais. Volume I: Espécies Marinhas. 1st edition. Brasília: Edições IBAMA, 205 pp.