The advantage of juvenile coloration in reef fishes
Date
1998-12
Authors
Contributor
Advisor
Department
Instructor
Depositor
Speaker
Researcher
Consultant
Interviewer
Narrator
Transcriber
Annotator
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Volume
Number/Issue
Starting Page
Ending Page
Alternative Title
Abstract
Juvenile reef fishes often have a color pattern different from that of adults. It has been theorized that this reduces the aggression received by juveniles from adult conspecifics. This was tested using two species of Labroides cleaning wrasses in which certain-sized individuals can quickly shift back and forth between the adult and juvenile color patterns. Adult Labroides phthirophagus has the same single-male grouping social structure as previously described for L. dimidiatus. Small L. phthirophagus and L. dimidiatus in juvenile coloration shifted to adult coloration when isolated and then quickly shifted back to juvenile coloration when chased by an adult conspecific female. In L. phthirophagus the adult females attacked small cleaners more frequently when they displayed the adult color pattern, indicating that juvenile coloration gives some protection from conspecific aggression. Two other species oflabrids, Thalassoma duperrey and Coris gaimard, showed the ability to shift back to juvenile coloration when aggression was received from con specific adults, although the shift was not nearly as rapid as seen in Labroides species. Dascyllus albisella and Zebrasomajlavescens, common reef fishes, preferred to solicit cleaning (by posing) from the adult-colored L. phthirophagus, indicating that some hosts prefer the adult color pattern. Small L. phthirophagus shifted to adult coloration more quickly when starved than when provided with host fish on which to feed, indicating that the coloration shift is motivated by hunger. Even though juvenile coloration in some fishes may reduce the aggression received from adults, in cleaner wrasses it also reduces food availability, making it advantageous for them to shift to adult-coloration as soon as possible. Cleaner wrasses have developed a quick, reversible coloration shift that allows changing to adult coloration at a small size but allows reversing coloration if too much aggression is received.
Description
Keywords
Protective coloration (Biology), Coral reef fishes., Protective coloration (Biology)
Citation
Mahon, Jeffrey L. The advantage of juvenile coloration in reef fishes. Honolulu (HI): University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1998.
Extent
69 pages
Format
Geographic Location
Time Period
Related To
Theses for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (University of Hawaii at Manoa). Zoology; no. 3739
Related To (URI)
Table of Contents
Rights
All UHM dissertations and theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission from the copyright owner.
Rights Holder
Local Contexts
Collections
Email libraryada-l@lists.hawaii.edu if you need this content in ADA-compliant format.