Elacatinus puncticulatus is a species of goby from the eastern central Pacific Ocean, where it is found on reefs from the Gulf of California to Ecuador. This species occurs at depths ranging from 1 to 21m, and usually in association with the sea urchinEucidaris thouarsii. The size of the goby varies depending on sex, with females being typically smaller than males, and their geographical location as well as their role as a cleaner goby also has impacts on their morphology.[2] Due to their bright coloration and lack of aggression, the species is commonly found in the aquarium trade.[3][4]
Elacatinus puncticulatus is a member of the family Gobiidae, which is broken up into two genera: Elacatinus and Gobiosoma. Elacatinus is a genus of goby fish comprising 25 species with characteristic 7 spines, 28 vertebrae, compressed skull shape, and transparent fins. E. puncticulatus are the only species in the genus that display a lack of scales on the head and body.[4] The E. puncticulatus species in particular is characterized by the strong red and blue coloration on its head, with yellow and black striped coloration on its body, and a dark horizontal stripe behind its eye.[5] The blue stripe near the head of many Elacatinus species is often seen as an adaptation that allows the fish to effectively attract clients that they clean as a part of their role as a symbiotic cleaner species.[2] The species is sometimes broken up into two clades, with subclades within those, based on interspecific variations seen in both their coloration and genetics. Those variations are believed to have been a result of oceanographic processes and habitat discontinuities that separated different E. puncticulatus groups over time. Depending on their location, different members of the species display different colors on their head, body, and eye stripes, which can range from red to more of a yellow-orange.[6]
Their general size differs depending on sex, with males reaching around 30-40mm in length while females only reach around 22-27mm and this size difference between the sexes increases as general latitude increases.[4] Besides just geographic location, their role as a cleaner goby also has an impact on their morphology. Elacatinus as a genus typically displays a terminal mouth position that corresponds to their roles as cleaner fish, but E. puncticulatus specifically display a heterodont dentition as well, meaning they have more than one type of tooth morphology. This differentiates them from other cleaner species in their genus, but is characteristic of their role as an occasional, or facultative, cleaner (as compared to dedicated, or obligate, cleaners).[2]
Distribution
The Tropical Eastern Pacific spans from the Southern region of the Baja Peninsula in California to Northern Peru
E. puncticulatus are a shallow-living goby found along the continental shore of the Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP), which ranges from the Southern tip of the California peninsula to the South of Ecuador. Specifically within this area, the species live primarily between the subtidal zone and depths of 21m on rocky or coral reefs.[4][5][6] Their habitat on coral reefs, considered “cleaning stations”, which combined with the bright blue coloration on parts of their head allows the species to attract clients and feed off of the removed ectoparasites.[2] They are the only species of the genus Elacatinus not found in the Atlantic, and only one of two species in the genus found in the TEP. Their distribution is shaped by habitat discontinuities that restrict their dispersal in the area, one of the most notable examples being two muddy sections of shore within the TEP.[6]
Growth and Reproduction
Elacatinus puncticulatus display active courtship before spawning and parental behaviors after spawning. Males of E. puncticulatus show a gray head and yellow and black body coloration instead of their usual red and blue head coloration. One day prior to spawning, males move their pectoral fins to promote burrow cleanliness and display heavy breathing to signify readiness. Females of E. puncticulatus display strong red and black colors, but become pale three days before spawning. The male knows the female is ready to spawn because her urogenital region turns from brown to red the day prior to spawning.[5] The genus Elacatinus are primarily gonochoristic, do not change sex, and often maintain stable monogamous relationships throughout their life.[7]
E. puncticulatus produce benthic eggs that give rise to pelagic larvae.[6] Male E.puncticulatus clean the dead eggs after hatching, but sometimes they will clean the eggs before hatching, which leads to a loss of up to 50% of the eggs.[5]E. puncticulatus produce around 150 eggs per spawn, but only about 100 will actually hatch and produce pelagic larvae. The eggs range in size from 0.4 to 0.7mm. A heartbeat can be detected at 120 hours post fertilization (5 days) when they grow most rapidly and have the highest mortality. Spontaneous hatching takes about an hour and a half to complete and occurs 168 hours after fertilization (7 days). The incubation and embryonic development stages of E. puncticulatus are similar to those of Elacatinus figaro.[5] There is a lot unknown about E. puncticulatus larval stage including distribution and time spent in the pelagic larval stage, but similar Elacatinus species have a range of 21–38 days.[6]
Ecology
Elacatinus cleaner gobies feeding off ectoparasites of a much larger "client" fish
Elacatinus puncticulatus are found in corals in the continental shelf of the TEP. They often live in association with sea urchins, although the reason for this is undetermined.[6] The Elacatinus genus feeds primarily on ectoparasites from cleaning and cellular fish debris, and E. puncticulatus seem to be no different.[5] Both males and females clean. Cleaning gobies can display cheating behavior when cleaning with a partner, where they consume scales and mucus from the clients instead of just ectoparasites, although this is uncommon in the Elacatinus genus. When cleaning with the opposite sex, males tend to modify behavior to be more cooperative and females tend to stay the same.[7] Clients of this cleaning mutualism are either non-predatory fish like parrotfishes,[8] or piscivorous fish that are potential predators for the goby, like longfin damselfish,[9]yellowtail damselfish,[10] and graysby grouper.[11] While some clients are predatory to E. puncticulatus and other cleaner gobies, the predatory clients are often immediately cleaned upon arrival, which could help their identification as a cleaner and reduce the risk of predation.[9] The immediate cleaning of those predator clients may reduce the risk of predation, but it does not provide any foraging advantage since predator clients and non-predator clients offer the same amount of ectoparasites, and predatory clients often decrease the visits made by the more abundant non-predatory clients.[9][8]
Aquarium Trade
The 25 species of Elacatinus are considered "neon gobies" due to their brightly colored appearance and the variety of coloration they display. Along with their attractive appearance, their ability to become domesticated rather easily as well as their relatively calm disposition make them more appealing to those involved in the aquarium trade of marine fish and coral. As a result of this, many of the species, including the bright red and blue E. puncticulatus are kept for ornamental purposes in many different regions.[5]
Elacatinus puncticulatus is commonly found in the aquarium trade industry, because new technologies have made it easier to manage captive marine species.[5] The United States Fish and Wildlife Service CITES program requires certain species to be named specifically when trading, but E. puncticulatus is not on the list.[12]E. puncticulatus is referred to as marine tropical fish in reports. It can be difficult for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to regulate their trade and study their endangerment status.[12]
References
^Findley L, van Tassell J (2010). "Elacatinus puncticulatus". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2010: e.T183517A8126833. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-3.RLTS.T183517A8126833.en.
^ abcdHuie JM, Thacker CE, Tornabene L (February 2020). "Co-evolution of cleaning and feeding morphology in western Atlantic and eastern Pacific gobies". Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution. 74 (2): 419–433. doi:10.1111/evo.13904. PMID 31876289.
^Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2013). "Elacatinus puncticulatus" in FishBase. June 2013 version.
^ abcdHoese, D. F., & Reader, S. (2001). “A preliminary review of the eastern Pacific species of Elacatinus (Perciformes: Gobiidae)”. Revista de Biología Tropical, 49 (1), 157-169. revistas.ucr.ac.cr/index.php/rbt/article/download/26241/26483
^ abcdefghPedrazzani AS, Pham NK, Lin J, Neto AO (February 2014). "Reproductive behavior, embryonic and early larval development of the red head goby, Elacatinus puncticulatus". Animal Reproduction Science. 145 (1–2): 69–74. doi:10.1016/j.anireprosci.2013.12.013. PMID 24440435.
^ abcdefSandoval-Huerta ER, Beltrán-López RG, Pedraza-Marrón CR, Paz-Velásquez MA, Angulo A, Robertson DR, et al. (January 2019). "The evolutionary history of the goby Elacatinus puncticulatus in the tropical eastern pacific: Effects of habitat discontinuities and local environmental variability". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 130: 269–285. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2018.10.020. PMID 30359746.
^ abSoares MC, Bshary R, Côté IM (2009). "Cleaning in pairs enhances honesty in male cleaning gobies". Behavioral Ecology. 20 (6): 1343–1347. doi:10.1093/beheco/arp138. ISSN 1465-7279.
^ abSoares MC, Bshary R, Cardoso SC, Côté IM, Oliveira RF (2012-06-27). "Face your fears: cleaning gobies inspect predators despite being stressed by them". PLOS ONE. 7 (6): e39781. Bibcode:2012PLoSO...739781S. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0039781. PMC3384605. PMID 22802925.
^ abcSoares MC, Cardoso SC, Côté IM (2007-01-25). "Client preferences by Caribbean cleaning gobies: food, safety or something else?". Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. 61 (7): 1015–1022. doi:10.1007/s00265-006-0334-6. ISSN 1432-0762. S2CID 21181322.
^Soares MC, Bshary R, Cardoso SC, Côté IM (2008). "The Meaning of Jolts by Fish Clients of Cleaning Gobies" (PDF). Ethology. 114 (3): 209–214. doi:10.1111/j.1439-0310.2007.01471.x.
^Cheney KL, Côté IM (June 2005). "Mutualism or parasitism? The variable outcome of cleaning symbioses". Biology Letters. 1 (2): 162–5. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2004.0288. PMC1626222. PMID 17148155.
^ abRhyne AL (Jan 2017). "Expanding our understanding of the trade in marine aquarium animals". PeerJ. 5: e2949. doi:10.7717/peerj.2949. PMC5274522. PMID 28149703 – via PubMed.
External links
Photos of Elacatinus puncticulatus on Sealife Collection
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Elacatinus puncticulatus.
January 11, 2023
elacatinus, puncticulatus, species, goby, from, eastern, central, pacific, ocean, where, found, reefs, from, gulf, california, ecuador, this, species, occurs, depths, ranging, from, usually, association, with, urchin, eucidaris, thouarsii, size, goby, varies, . Elacatinus puncticulatus is a species of goby from the eastern central Pacific Ocean where it is found on reefs from the Gulf of California to Ecuador This species occurs at depths ranging from 1 to 21m and usually in association with the sea urchin Eucidaris thouarsii The size of the goby varies depending on sex with females being typically smaller than males and their geographical location as well as their role as a cleaner goby also has impacts on their morphology 2 Due to their bright coloration and lack of aggression the species is commonly found in the aquarium trade 3 4 Elacatinus puncticulatusConservation statusLeast Concern IUCN 3 1 1 Scientific classificationKingdom AnimaliaPhylum ChordataClass ActinopterygiiOrder GobiiformesFamily GobiidaeGenus ElacatinusSpecies E puncticulatusBinomial nameElacatinus puncticulatus Ginsburg 1938 SynonymsGobiosoma puncticulatum Ginsburg 1938 Gobiosoma rubrifrons Fowler 1944 Contents 1 Description 2 Distribution 3 Growth and Reproduction 4 Ecology 5 Aquarium Trade 6 References 7 External linksDescription EditElacatinus puncticulatus is a member of the family Gobiidae which is broken up into two genera Elacatinus and Gobiosoma Elacatinus is a genus of goby fish comprising 25 species with characteristic 7 spines 28 vertebrae compressed skull shape and transparent fins E puncticulatus are the only species in the genus that display a lack of scales on the head and body 4 The E puncticulatus species in particular is characterized by the strong red and blue coloration on its head with yellow and black striped coloration on its body and a dark horizontal stripe behind its eye 5 The blue stripe near the head of many Elacatinus species is often seen as an adaptation that allows the fish to effectively attract clients that they clean as a part of their role as a symbiotic cleaner species 2 The species is sometimes broken up into two clades with subclades within those based on interspecific variations seen in both their coloration and genetics Those variations are believed to have been a result of oceanographic processes and habitat discontinuities that separated different E puncticulatus groups over time Depending on their location different members of the species display different colors on their head body and eye stripes which can range from red to more of a yellow orange 6 Their general size differs depending on sex with males reaching around 30 40mm in length while females only reach around 22 27mm and this size difference between the sexes increases as general latitude increases 4 Besides just geographic location their role as a cleaner goby also has an impact on their morphology Elacatinus as a genus typically displays a terminal mouth position that corresponds to their roles as cleaner fish but E puncticulatus specifically display a heterodont dentition as well meaning they have more than one type of tooth morphology This differentiates them from other cleaner species in their genus but is characteristic of their role as an occasional or facultative cleaner as compared to dedicated or obligate cleaners 2 Distribution Edit The Tropical Eastern Pacific spans from the Southern region of the Baja Peninsula in California to Northern Peru E puncticulatus are a shallow living goby found along the continental shore of the Tropical Eastern Pacific TEP which ranges from the Southern tip of the California peninsula to the South of Ecuador Specifically within this area the species live primarily between the subtidal zone and depths of 21m on rocky or coral reefs 4 5 6 Their habitat on coral reefs considered cleaning stations which combined with the bright blue coloration on parts of their head allows the species to attract clients and feed off of the removed ectoparasites 2 They are the only species of the genus Elacatinus not found in the Atlantic and only one of two species in the genus found in the TEP Their distribution is shaped by habitat discontinuities that restrict their dispersal in the area one of the most notable examples being two muddy sections of shore within the TEP 6 Growth and Reproduction EditElacatinus puncticulatus display active courtship before spawning and parental behaviors after spawning Males of E puncticulatus show a gray head and yellow and black body coloration instead of their usual red and blue head coloration One day prior to spawning males move their pectoral fins to promote burrow cleanliness and display heavy breathing to signify readiness Females of E puncticulatus display strong red and black colors but become pale three days before spawning The male knows the female is ready to spawn because her urogenital region turns from brown to red the day prior to spawning 5 The genus Elacatinus are primarily gonochoristic do not change sex and often maintain stable monogamous relationships throughout their life 7 E puncticulatus produce benthic eggs that give rise to pelagic larvae 6 Male E puncticulatus clean the dead eggs after hatching but sometimes they will clean the eggs before hatching which leads to a loss of up to 50 of the eggs 5 E puncticulatus produce around 150 eggs per spawn but only about 100 will actually hatch and produce pelagic larvae The eggs range in size from 0 4 to 0 7mm A heartbeat can be detected at 120 hours post fertilization 5 days when they grow most rapidly and have the highest mortality Spontaneous hatching takes about an hour and a half to complete and occurs 168 hours after fertilization 7 days The incubation and embryonic development stages of E puncticulatus are similar to those of Elacatinus figaro 5 There is a lot unknown about E puncticulatus larval stage including distribution and time spent in the pelagic larval stage but similar Elacatinus species have a range of 21 38 days 6 Ecology Edit Elacatinus cleaner gobies feeding off ectoparasites of a much larger client fish Elacatinus puncticulatus are found in corals in the continental shelf of the TEP They often live in association with sea urchins although the reason for this is undetermined 6 The Elacatinus genus feeds primarily on ectoparasites from cleaning and cellular fish debris and E puncticulatus seem to be no different 5 Both males and females clean Cleaning gobies can display cheating behavior when cleaning with a partner where they consume scales and mucus from the clients instead of just ectoparasites although this is uncommon in the Elacatinus genus When cleaning with the opposite sex males tend to modify behavior to be more cooperative and females tend to stay the same 7 Clients of this cleaning mutualism are either non predatory fish like parrotfishes 8 or piscivorous fish that are potential predators for the goby like longfin damselfish 9 yellowtail damselfish 10 and graysby grouper 11 While some clients are predatory to E puncticulatus and other cleaner gobies the predatory clients are often immediately cleaned upon arrival which could help their identification as a cleaner and reduce the risk of predation 9 The immediate cleaning of those predator clients may reduce the risk of predation but it does not provide any foraging advantage since predator clients and non predator clients offer the same amount of ectoparasites and predatory clients often decrease the visits made by the more abundant non predatory clients 9 8 Aquarium Trade EditThe 25 species of Elacatinus are considered neon gobies due to their brightly colored appearance and the variety of coloration they display Along with their attractive appearance their ability to become domesticated rather easily as well as their relatively calm disposition make them more appealing to those involved in the aquarium trade of marine fish and coral As a result of this many of the species including the bright red and blue E puncticulatus are kept for ornamental purposes in many different regions 5 Elacatinus puncticulatus is commonly found in the aquarium trade industry because new technologies have made it easier to manage captive marine species 5 The United States Fish and Wildlife Service CITES program requires certain species to be named specifically when trading but E puncticulatus is not on the list 12 E puncticulatus is referred to as marine tropical fish in reports It can be difficult for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to regulate their trade and study their endangerment status 12 References Edit Findley L van Tassell J 2010 Elacatinus puncticulatus The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2010 e T183517A8126833 doi 10 2305 IUCN UK 2010 3 RLTS T183517A8126833 en a b c d Huie JM Thacker CE Tornabene L February 2020 Co evolution of cleaning and feeding morphology in western Atlantic and eastern Pacific gobies Evolution International Journal of Organic Evolution 74 2 419 433 doi 10 1111 evo 13904 PMID 31876289 Froese Rainer Pauly Daniel eds 2013 Elacatinus puncticulatus in FishBase June 2013 version a b c d Hoese D F amp Reader S 2001 A preliminary review of the eastern Pacific species of Elacatinus Perciformes Gobiidae Revista de Biologia Tropical 49 1 157 169 revistas ucr ac cr index php rbt article download 26241 26483 a b c d e f g h Pedrazzani AS Pham NK Lin J Neto AO February 2014 Reproductive behavior embryonic and early larval development of the red head goby Elacatinus puncticulatus Animal Reproduction Science 145 1 2 69 74 doi 10 1016 j anireprosci 2013 12 013 PMID 24440435 a b c d e f Sandoval Huerta ER Beltran Lopez RG Pedraza Marron CR Paz Velasquez MA Angulo A Robertson DR et al January 2019 The evolutionary history of the goby Elacatinus puncticulatus in the tropical eastern pacific Effects of habitat discontinuities and local environmental variability Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 130 269 285 doi 10 1016 j ympev 2018 10 020 PMID 30359746 a b Soares MC Bshary R Cote IM 2009 Cleaning in pairs enhances honesty in male cleaning gobies Behavioral Ecology 20 6 1343 1347 doi 10 1093 beheco arp138 ISSN 1465 7279 a b Soares MC Bshary R Cardoso SC Cote IM Oliveira RF 2012 06 27 Face your fears cleaning gobies inspect predators despite being stressed by them PLOS ONE 7 6 e39781 Bibcode 2012PLoSO 739781S doi 10 1371 journal pone 0039781 PMC 3384605 PMID 22802925 a b c Soares MC Cardoso SC Cote IM 2007 01 25 Client preferences by Caribbean cleaning gobies food safety or something else Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 61 7 1015 1022 doi 10 1007 s00265 006 0334 6 ISSN 1432 0762 S2CID 21181322 Soares MC Bshary R Cardoso SC Cote IM 2008 The Meaning of Jolts by Fish Clients of Cleaning Gobies PDF Ethology 114 3 209 214 doi 10 1111 j 1439 0310 2007 01471 x Cheney KL Cote IM June 2005 Mutualism or parasitism The variable outcome of cleaning symbioses Biology Letters 1 2 162 5 doi 10 1098 rsbl 2004 0288 PMC 1626222 PMID 17148155 a b Rhyne AL Jan 2017 Expanding our understanding of the trade in marine aquarium animals PeerJ 5 e2949 doi 10 7717 peerj 2949 PMC 5274522 PMID 28149703 via PubMed External links EditPhotos of Elacatinus puncticulatus on Sealife Collection Wikimedia Commons has media related to Elacatinus puncticulatus Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Elacatinus puncticulatus amp oldid 1080788438, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
