Chaetodon Trifascialis Research Articles

Dietary overlap among coral-feeding butterflyfishes (Chaetodontidae) at Lizard Island, northern Great Barrier Reef

This study documented the range of corals, and other prey types, consumed by 20 species of butterflyfishes, which co-occur at Lizard Island, northern Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Six species (Chaetodon aureofasciatus, C. baronessa, C. lunulatus, C. plebius, C. rainfordi and C. trifascialis) fed almost exclusively on scleractinian corals, and a further eight species (C. citrinellus, C. kleinii, C. lunula, C. melannotus, C. rafflesi, C. speculum, C. ulietensis, and C. unimaculatus) took a significant proportion of their bites from corals. The other six species (C. auriga, C. ephippium, C. lineolatus, C. semeion, C. vagabundus, and Chelmon rostratus) rarely consumed coral, but fed on small discrete prey items from non-coral substrates. Coral-feeding butterflyfishes consumed a wide range of corals. Chaetodon lunulatus, for example, consumed 51 coral species from 24 different genera. However, there was up to 72% dietary overlap between coral-feeding butterflyfishes, with 11/14 species feeding predominantly on Acropora hyacinthus or Pocillopora damicornis. The most specialised corallivore, C. trifascialis, took 88% of bites from A. hyacinthus. Chaetodon trifascialis defend territories encompassing one or more colonies of A. hyacinthus, and may have prevented other species such as C. lunulatus from feeding even more extensively on this coral. This study has shown that coexistence of coral-feeding butterflyfishes occurs despite an apparent lack of partitioning of prey resources. While different coral-feeding butterflyfishes were more or less selective in their use of different coral prey, virtually all species fed predominantly on A. hyacinthus or P. damicornis.

Breakdown of butterflyfish (Chaetodontidae) territories associated with the onset of a mass coral bleaching event

1. Obligate corallivorous butterflyfishes (Chaetodontidae) have been suggested as indicators of the health of coral reefs. 2. There has been a call to relate specific changes in butterflyfish ecology and behaviour to identified stressors. 3. For the first time it is reported here that there is a breakdown of the normal rigid territorial butterflyfish behaviour at the onset of an intense, large-scale coral bleaching event in the Seychelles, western Indian Ocean. 4. Behaviour changes from fixed territory holding, and a mosaic of intra- and interspecific territories, to one of mass excursions by the whole obligate corallivore assemblage. 5. The two main species studied here, Chaetodon trifascialis and C. trifasciatus, fed almost exclusively on Acropora spp. In the western Indian Ocean these species of coral are among the first to die during a bleaching event. 6. It is speculated that the early excursion behavioural response by these butterflyfishes is because their prime food resource is the first to perish. 7. It is recommended that baseline data be gathered on corallivorous butterflyfish territory size and rate of excursion on healthy, unstressed reefs. 8. Deviation from these baseline results, along with early bleaching corals such as Montipora spp. and branching Acropora spp., is highly likely to indicate the coming of a bleaching event. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Assemblage structure of butterflyfishes and their use as indicators of Gulf of Aqaba benthic habitat in Jordan

1. A spatially comprehensive description of the butterflyfish assemblage structure is presented, as well as an examination of the relationship of butterflyfish with the dominant living substrate distribution of seagrass and living coral complex (combination of soft and hard corals). The utility of using abundance of particular butterflyfish species as indicators for abundance and change in coral reefs of the northern Gulf of Aqaba is also discussed. 2. The most common species of butterflyfish along the Jordanian coast of the Gulf of Aqaba was Chaetodon paucifasciatus, while the most infrequently observed was Chaetodon trifascialis. 3. The only site along the entire coast of Jordan that had a majority (55.5%) of its benthic environment covered with living coral complex was the Jordan–Saudi Arabia border. The only other site that had a majority of its benthic environment covered with a living substrate was Al-Mamlah which had 70.7% seagrass cover. All other sites had the majority of their substrate composed of dead coral/rubble/sand complex. 4. Nine sites had dominant living substrate, both by depth and with all depths within a site combined, composed of coral complex, while the remaining four were composed of seagrass. 5. Butterflyfish species richness at coral complex sites was significantly greater than for seagrass sites. 6. Abundance of Chaetodon austriacus is the single best indicator species for proportion of benthic habitat covered by coral complex. C. austriacus, C. paucifasciatus and Chaetodon melannotus combined explain the majority of variability in percentage coral complex coverage. 7. Abundance of C. paucifasciatus is the single best indicator species for proportion of benthic habitat covered by hard coral, and, when combined with C. austriacus, explains the majority of variability in percentage hard coral coverage. 8. Abundance of C. austriacus is the single best indicator of soft coral coverage. However, even when combined with other butterflyfish species, not more than approximately 20% of the variability in percentage soft coral coverage can be explained by butterflyfish abundance. 9. Neither abundance of C. trifascialis nor total butterflyfish abundance are recommended as viable indicators for coral complex, hard or soft coral cover in the northern Gulf of Aqaba. 10. Results support the butterflyfish indicator species concept that specific coral-feeding butterflyfish species, and not total butterflyfish abundance, may be a valuable indicator of changes to coral reef ecosystems. However, additional studies are needed to elucidate the behavioural traits (i.e. feeding rates, territory size and agonistic encounters) of the candidate species C. austriacus, C. melannotus and C. paucifasciatus. Such studies should be included as part of implementation of a broader, regional long-term butterflyfish monitoring programme. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Molecular phylogenetics of Chaetodon and the Chaetodontidae (Teleostei: Perciformes) with reference to morphology

Butterflyfish are colourful, pan-tropical coastal fish that are important and distinctive members of coral reef communities. A successful systematic scheme and a robust phylogeny is considered essential in understanding further their biogeography and ecology, although recent cladistic treatments of butterflyfish phylogeny, based on soft tissue and bone morphology and coded at the generic and subgeneric levels, differ in character coding and subsequently tree topology. This study provides an independent test of the morphologically based hypotheses, using molecular systematic data from two partial mitochondrial gene fragments, cytochrome b (cytb) and small subunit rRNA (rrnS), for 52 ingroup chaetodontids and seven pomacanthids used to root the molecular trees. Individual gene trees were largely compatible and a combined molecular phylogeny, inferred from Bayesian analysis, was used to test alternative hypotheses suggested by morphological analyses. The tree was also used to map the latest morphological matrix in order to evaluate potential synapomorphies for various nodes defining butterflyfish interrelationships. A clade comprised of Chelmon and Coradion was sister group to other chaetodontids. Heniochus and Hemitaurichthys were each resolved as monophyletic groups, and as sister taxa Of the taxa sampled, Prognothodes was resolved as the sister genus to Chaeotodon. Of the ten Chaetodon subgenera sampled, all were monophyletic but their interrelationships differed significantly from that inferred from morphological characters. Lepidochaetodon was the most basal subgenus followed by Exornator and the remaining subgenera. Molecular data support the sister group relationship between Corallochaetodon and Citharoedus suggested by morphology, but major differences occur among the remaining more derived taxa. Chaetodon trifascialis and C. oligacanthus were resolved as sister taxa adding weight to the inclusion of the latter in C. Megaprotodon. Of those pairs of taxa known to hybridize and sampled with molecular data, all were closely related phylogenetically, except those hybrids known to occur in the Rabdophorus subgenus. Two base changes separated C. pelewensis from C.

Spawning behavior and haremic mating system in the corallivorous butterflyfish,Chaetodon trifascialis, at Kuroshima Island, Okinawa

Territorial and spawning behavior ofChaetodon trifascialis were investigated on a small patch of reef at Kuroshima Island, Okinawa, Japan. Three males and 8 females inhabited the reef, each individual defending a territory against conspecifics of the same sex. Each male territory included 2 or 3 female territories. In the daytime, each male frequently visited the females living in its territory. At dusk in the full or new moon periods, courtship began within the female territories, pair spawning subsequently occurring within or near those territories. When a male actively courted a female in the territory of a second male, the latter male immediately chased off the intruder. Thus, mating occurred only between a male and females living in former's territory. This is the first report of a haremic mating system among butterflyfishes (Chaetodontidae).

Temporal and areal feeding behavior of the butterflyfish,Chaetodon trifascialis, at Johnston Atoll

The chevron butterflyfish,Chaetodon trifascialis, is found throughout the Indo-Pacific. It is a territorial, diurnal, corallivore found in close association withAcropora spp. corals. The feeding behavior of 33 individuals was studied over six seasons in three habitats.Chaetodon trifascialis spent one third of its active time feeding. However, there was much individual variation. Fish had significantly higher feeding rates during the early afternoon, and there were no significant differences in the feeding rates between the seasons. Feeding rates were significantly different between the three habitats. TheMontipora-rich habitat had the highest feeding rates (x = 10.74 bites min-1 ± 0.87, all corals combined) and theAcropora-Montipora mixed habitat had the lowest feeding rates (x = 4.58 bites min-1 ± 0.63, all corals combined). Females fed significantly more than males. WhileC. trifascialis had been thought to only eatAcropora spp. corals, it occasionally fed onMontipora spp. andPocillopora sp. corals whenAcropora spp. were scarce.Chaetodon trifascialis exhibited patterns predicted by foraging theory of an energy maximizer. Territory sizes were inversely related to food density and feeding rates were inversely related to intruder rates. This is a promising system for future testing of foraging strategy models.

Occurrence of the wax cetyl palmitate in stomachs of the corallivorous butterfly fish Chaetodon trifascialis

Various organs of the butterfly fish Chaetodon trifascialis, which has been reported to feed exclusively on coral polyps, were analyzed for their content of lipid and of the wax cetyl palmitate which has been found to occur in various corals. Cetyl palmitate was isolated from stomachs containing food. The total lipids accounted for 12% of dry weight of stomachs and contents, with cetyl palmitate making up 30% of total lipids. Two stomachs contained a total of 315 mg of cetyl palmitate. No significant amounts of the wax were found in heads, ovaries, swim bladders and intestines of the fish, indicating an exogenous source of the cetyl palmitate present in the stomach. This finding supports the view that the butterfly fish feeds on corals, which contain cetyl palmitate. The butterfly fish does not appear to store wax.

Energy Maximizers and Time Minimizers: Theory and Reality

Energy Maximizers and Time Minimizers: Theory and Reality