Temporal Spawning Patterns of Several Surgeonfishes and Wrasses in American Samoa

Abstract

Three coral reef surgeonfishes (Acanthurus guttatus, A. triostegus, A. lineatus) and two wrasses (Thalassoma quinquevittatum, T. hardwickii) spawned year-round in American Samoa. Spawning occurred in or adjacent to the channel draining the fringing reef at specific times of day: dawn (A. lineatus), daytime (T quinquevittatum, T hardwickii), or dusk (A. guttatus, A. triostegus); and spawning time tracked seasonal changes in day length. Egg predation was high for the surgeonfishes, but predation by piscivores appeared to be low.