Affiliation:
1. School of Integrative Biology, University of QueenslandSt Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
2. Sensory Neurobiology Group, School of Biomedical Sciences University of QueenslandSt Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
Abstract
Mimetic species evolve colours and body patterns to closely resemble poisonous species and thus avoid predation (Batesian mimicry), or resemble beneficial or harmless species in order to approach and attack prey (aggressive mimicry). Facultative mimicry, the ability to switch between mimic and non-mimic colours at will, is uncommon in the animal kingdom, but has been shown in a cephalopod, and recently in a marine fish, the bluestriped fangblenny
Plagiotremus rhinorhynchos
, an aggressive mimic of the juvenile cleaner fish
Labroides dimidiatus
. Here we demonstrate for the first time that fangblennies adopted mimic colours in the presence of juvenile cleaner fish; however, this only occurred in smaller individuals. Field data indicated that when juvenile cleaner fish were abundant, the proportion of mimic to non-mimic fangblennies was greater, suggesting that fangblennies adopt their mimic disguise depending on the availability of cleaner fish. Finally, measurements of spectral reflectance suggest that not only do mimic fangblennies accurately resemble the colour of their cleaner fish models but also mimic other species of fish that they associate with. This study provides insights into the cues that control this remarkable facultative mimicry system and qualitatively measures its accuracy.
Subject
General Agricultural and Biological Sciences,General Environmental Science,General Immunology and Microbiology,General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology,General Medicine
Reference27 articles.
1. Allen G.R Steene R Humann P& Deloach N Reef fish identification—tropical pacific. 2003 Jacksonville FL:New World Publications.
2. Convergence of a cryptic saddle pattern in benthic freshwater fishes
3. Ultraviolet plumage colors predict mate preferences in starlings
4. Evolution and ecology of cleaning symbioses in the sea;Côté I.M;Oceanogr. Mar. Biol. Annu. Rev,2000
5. Distance–dependent costs and benefits of aggressive mimicry in a cleaning symbiosis
Cited by
39 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献