Ecology Summary - Aspidontus taeniatus

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Main Ref.	Myers, R.F., 1991
Remarks	Inhabit lagoons, subtidal reef flats and outer reef slopes (where it occurs to depths of over 20 m). Often in lives in pairs in empty worm tubes or narrow holes. Mimic the cleaner wrasse Labroides dimidiatus and nip fins, skin and scales of other fishes (Ref. 9710). It even copies the motion of the cleaner wrasse that may induce other fish to come close, but it targets their scales or mucus for a feed, biting and quickly retreating to the corals before the victim realizes that it was tricked; experienced fish recognize imposters and often give it a chase (Ref. 48636). Also feeds on tubeworms and demersal fish eggs.

Main Ref.

Myers, R.F., 1991

Remarks

Inhabit lagoons, subtidal reef flats and outer reef slopes (where it occurs to depths of over 20 m). Often in lives in pairs in empty worm tubes or narrow holes. Mimic the cleaner wrasse Labroides dimidiatus and nip fins, skin and scales of other fishes (Ref. 9710). It even copies the motion of the cleaner wrasse that may induce other fish to come close, but it targets their scales or mucus for a feed, biting and quickly retreating to the corals before the victim realizes that it was tricked; experienced fish recognize imposters and often give it a chase (Ref. 48636). Also feeds on tubeworms and demersal fish eggs.

Aquatic zones / Water bodies

	Marine - Neritic	Marine - Oceanic	Brackishwater	Freshwater
Marine zones / Brackish and freshwater bodies	supra-littoral zone littoral zone sublittoral zone	epipelagic mesopelagic epipelagic abyssopelagic hadopelagic	estuaries/lagoons/brackish seas mangroves marshes/swamps	rivers/streams lakes/ponds caves exclusively in caves

Highighted items on the list are where Aspidontus taeniatus may be found.

Habitat

Substrate
Substrate Ref.
Special habitats	Coral Reefs;
Special habitats Ref.	Nguyen, N.T. and V.Q. Nguyen, 2006

Associations

Ref.
Associations
Associated with
Association remarks
Parasitism

Feeding

Feeding type	mainly animals (troph. 2.8 and up)
Feeding type Ref.	Myers, R.F., 1991
Feeding habit	variable
Feeding habit Ref.

Trophic Level(s)

Estimation method	Original sample		Unfished population		Remark
Estimation method	Troph	s.e.	Troph	s.e.	Remark
From diet composition
From individual food items	3.75	0.51			Trophic level estimated from a number of food items using a randomized resampling routine.
Ref.

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