Cleaning by the wrasse Thalassoma noronhanum , with two records of predation by its grouper client Cephalopholis fulva

The Noronha wrasse Thalassoma noronhanum was recorded cleaning 19 client fish species at Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, off north-eastern Brazil. The preferred clients were non-dangerous, mostly planktivorous species, whereas the potentially dangerous, predatory species were rarely cleaned. T. nor...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of fish biology 2000-04, Vol.56 (4), p.802-809
Main Authors: Francini-Filho, R B, Moura, R L, Sazima, I
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cephalopholis fulva
Thalassoma noronhanum
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Summary:The Noronha wrasse Thalassoma noronhanum was recorded cleaning 19 client fish species at Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, off north-eastern Brazil. The preferred clients were non-dangerous, mostly planktivorous species, whereas the potentially dangerous, predatory species were rarely cleaned. T. noronhanum acts as a cleaner in two distinct ecological situations, at and outside the cleaning stations, and attends different client species in each of them. Potentially dangerous clients were mostly attended outside the cleaning stations. Many attacks and two instances of predation on the cleaner wrasse by the grouper client Cephalopholis fulva were recorded. The attacks occurred on individual wrasses foraging near the bottom outside the cleaning stations.
ISSN:0022-1112
DOI:10.1006/jfbi.1999.1197