Turtle riders: remoras on marine turtles in Southwest Atlantic

Abstract

An overview is presented for a poorly documented relationship between reef vertebrates in Southwest Atlantic: remoras (Echeneidae) associated with marine turtles. Two remora species (Echeneis naucrates and Remora remora) and four turtle species (Caretta caretta, Chelonia mydas, Eretmochelys imbricata, and Dermochelys coriacea) are here recorded in symbiotic associations in the SW Atlantic. Echeneis naucrates was recorded both on the coast and on oceanic islands, whereas R. remora was recorded only at oceanic islands and in the open sea. The remora-turtle association is usually regarded as an instance of phoresis (hitchhiking), albeit feeding by the fish is also involved in this symbiosis type. This association seems to be rare in SW Atlantic.