Patterns of species diversity in the gastrointestinal helminths of a coral reef fish, Epinephelus merra (Serranidae), from French Polynesia and the South Pacific Ocean

1997 ◽  
Vol 75 (11) ◽  
pp. 1818-1827 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark C. Rigby ◽  
John C. Holmes ◽  
Thomas H. Cribb ◽  
Serge Morand
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Species Diversity ◽  
Pacific Ocean ◽  
Reef Fish ◽  
Coral Reef Fish ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
Reef Fishes ◽  
French Polynesia ◽  
Parasite Communities ◽  
South Pacific Ocean

Large-scale patterns of species diversity in the gastrointestinal helminth faunas of the coral reef fish Epinephelus merra (Serranidae) were investigated in French Polynesia and the South Pacific Ocean. The richer barrier reef community in French Polynesia supported richer parasite communities in E. merra than that on the fringing reef. While parasite communities among fish from the same archipelago were similar, differences in potential host species and the distance between archipelagos may have contributed to a qualitative difference in parasite communities between archipelagos. Digenean community diversity in coral reef fishes was greater in the western South Pacific, following similar patterns in free-living species. However, overall species diversity of camallanid nematodes of coral reef fishes does not appear to have been similarly affected.

scholarly journals Individual back-calculated size-at-age based on otoliths from Pacific coral reef fish species

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabien Morat ◽  
Jérémy Wicquart ◽  
Nina M. D. Schiettekatte ◽  
Guillemette de Sinéty ◽  
Jean Bienvenu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Reef Fish ◽  
Fish Species ◽  
Coral Reef Fish ◽  
Growth Parameters ◽  
Reef Fishes ◽  
French Polynesia ◽  
Individual Growth ◽  
Reef Fish Species ◽  
Size At Age

Abstract Somatic growth is a critical biological trait for organismal, population, and ecosystem-level processes. Due to its direct link with energetic demands, growth also represents an important parameter to estimate energy and nutrient fluxes. For marine fishes, growth rate information is most frequently derived from sagittal otoliths, and most of the available data stems from studies on temperate species that are targeted by commercial fisheries. Although the analysis of otoliths is a powerful tool to estimate individual growth, the time-consuming nature of otolith processing is one barrier for collection of comprehensive datasets across multiple species. This is especially true for coral reef fishes, which are extremely diverse. Here, we provide back-calculated size-at-age estimates (including measures of uncertainty) based on sagittal otoliths from 710 individuals belonging to 45 coral reef fish species from French Polynesia. In addition, we provide Von Bertalanffy growth parameters which are useful to predict community level biomass production.

Spatiotemporal distribution of nocturnal coral reef fish juveniles in Moorea Island, French Polynesia

2007 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Lecchini ◽  
Yohei Nakamura ◽  
Makoto Tsuchiya ◽  
René Galzin
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Reef Fish ◽  
Coral Reef Fish ◽  
French Polynesia ◽  
Spatiotemporal Distribution ◽  
Fish Juveniles ◽  
Moorea Island

scholarly journals DNA-based identification of predators of the corallivorous Crown-of-Thorns Starfish (Acanthaster cf. solaris) from fish faeces and gut contents

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederieke J. Kroon ◽  
Carine D. Lefèvre ◽  
Jason R. Doyle ◽  
Frances Patel ◽  
Grant Milton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Reef Fish ◽  
Fish Species ◽  
Coral Reef Fish ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Fish Predation ◽  
Reef Fishes ◽  
Positive Control ◽  
Gut Contents ◽  
Reef Fish Species

Abstract The corallivorous Crown-of-Thorns Starfish (CoTS, Acanthaster spp.) has been linked with the widespread loss of scleractinian coral cover on Indo-Pacific reefs during periodic population outbreaks. Here, we re-examine CoTS consumption by coral reef fish species by using new DNA technologies to detect Pacific Crown-of-Thorns Starfish (Acanthaster cf. solaris) in fish faecal and gut content samples. CoTS DNA was detected in samples from 18 different coral reef fish species collected on reefs at various stages of CoTS outbreaks in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, nine of which had not been previously reported to feed on CoTS. A comprehensive set of negative and positive control samples confirmed that our collection, processing and analysis procedures were robust, although food web transfer of CoTS DNA cannot be ruled out for some fish species. Our results, combined with the (i) presence of CoTS spines in some samples, (ii) reported predation on CoTS gametes, larvae and settled individuals, and (iii) known diet information for fish species examined, strongly indicate that direct fish predation on CoTS may well be more common than is currently appreciated. We provide recommendations for specific management approaches to enhance predation on CoTS by coral reef fishes, and to support the mitigation of CoTS outbreaks and reverse declines in hard coral cover.

CONCORDANCE BETWEEN GENETIC AND SPECIES DIVERSITY IN CORAL REEF FISHES ACROSS THE PACIFIC OCEAN BIODIVERSITY GRADIENT

Evolution ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 66 (12) ◽  
pp. 3902-3917 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa Messmer ◽  
Geoffrey P. Jones ◽  
Philip L. Munday ◽  
Serge Planes
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Species Diversity ◽  
Pacific Ocean ◽  
Reef Fishes ◽  
Coral Reef Fishes ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The Pacific Ocean

Visual Biology of Hawaiian Coral Reef Fishes. II. Colors of Hawaiian Coral Reef Fish

Copeia ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 2003 (3) ◽  
pp. 455-466 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. J. Marshall ◽  
K. Jennings ◽  
W. N. McFarland ◽  
E. R. Loew ◽  
G. S. Losey
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Reef Fish ◽  
Coral Reef Fish ◽  
Reef Fishes ◽  
Coral Reef Fishes

scholarly journals Isotopic discrimination in helminths infecting coral reef fishes depends on parasite group, habitat within host, and host stable isotope value

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip M. Riekenberg ◽  
Marine J. Briand ◽  
Thibaud Moléana ◽  
Pierre Sasal ◽  
Marcel T. J. van der Meer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotopes ◽  
Coral Reef ◽  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Reef Fish ◽  
Coral Reef Fish ◽  
Trophic Ecology ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Reef Fishes ◽  
Trophic Relationships ◽  
Host Parasite

AbstractStable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen characterize trophic relationships in predator–prey relationships, with clear differences between consumer and diet (discrimination factor Δ13C and Δ15N). However, parasite–host isotopic relationships remain unclear, with Δ13C and Δ15N remaining incompletely characterized, especially for helminths. In this study, we used stable isotopes to determine discrimination factors for 13 parasite–host pairings of helminths in coral reef fish. Differences in Δ15N values grouped according to parasite groups and habitat within the host with positive Δ15N values observed for trematodes and nematodes from the digestive tract and variable Δ15N values observed for cestodes and nematodes from the general cavity. Furthermore, Δ13C values showed more complex patterns with no effect of parasite group or habitat within host. A negative relationship was observed between Δ15N and host δ15N values among different host-parasite pairings as well as within 7 out of the 13 pairings, indicating that host metabolic processing affects host-parasite discrimination values. In contrast, no relationships were observed for Δ13C values. Our results indicate that parasite group, habitat within host, and host stable isotope value drive Δ15N of helminths in coral reef fish while their effect on Δ13C is more idiosyncratic. These results call for use of taxon- or species-specific and scaled framework for bulk stable isotopes in the trophic ecology of parasites.

A new species of Monandrocarpa (Ascidiacea, Styelidae) from Vanuatu I. (South Pacific Ocean)

Zootaxa ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 2044 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
FRANÇOISE MONNIOT
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Coral Reef ◽  
Pacific Ocean ◽  
Marine Invertebrates ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
Single Male ◽  
South Pacific Ocean ◽  
A New Species ◽  
The U.S

The U.S  Coral Reef Research Foundation collected by SCUBA various marine invertebrates in the islands of Vanuatu. Among them was a small bulbous ascidian settled on thin test stolons of another discrete ascidian being very similar in colour and shape. It is a new species of the genus Monandrocarpa (Styelidae) in which few species have been recorded. This genus is characterised by gonads in rows of hermaphrodite polycarps, each of them containing a single male vesicle. Other species in the same genus are discussed.

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