Topic
Labropsis
About: Labropsis is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 2 publications have been published within this topic receiving 30 citations.
Papers
TL;DR: These findings support the hypothesis that mucus secretion in the lips of tubelip wrasses plays a key role in their coral-feeding ecology, and highlight the value of soft anatomy in enabling fishes to exploit novel trophic resources.
Abstract: Tubelip wrasses were probably the first modern fish group to feed on corals, an ability that has been linked to their unusual lips. However, the only detailed account of these lips is based on a qualitative description of one tubelip wrasse species. Here, we provide the first quantitative evaluation of the lips of a broad range of wrasses and offer insights into the functional role of lips in coral-feeding fishes. A phylogenetic principal components analysis of 27 morphological traits revealed a clear differentiation between the lips of three coral-feeding tubelip wrasse genera (Labrichthys, Labropsis, and Diproctacanthus) and 12 non-corallivorous genera. This separation among taxa was based primarily on the presence of a glandular lip epithelium in tubelip wrasses. Our findings support the hypothesis that mucus secretion in the lips of tubelip wrasses plays a key role in their coral-feeding ecology, and highlight the value of soft anatomy in enabling fishes to exploit novel trophic resources.
8 citations
TL;DR: Overall, tubelip wrasses were more than twice as abundant as corallivorous butterflyfishes and accounted for three times as many feeding bites on corals, and coral-feeding tubelips are likely to be severely affected by coral decline.
Abstract: This paper describes a 2 month study of the patterns of abundance, feeding pressure, diet and feeding selectivity in corallivorous tubelip wrasses (Labridae), rarely studied, yet widespread and abundant group of corallivores on Indo-Pacific coral reefs. The relative abundance and feeding pressure of corallivorous wrasses and butterflyfishes (Chaetodontidae) in Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea, were compared. Overall, tubelip wrasses were more than twice as abundant as corallivorous butterflyfishes and accounted for three times as many feeding bites on corals. The three most abundant tubelip wrasses (yellowtail tubelip Diproctacanthus xanthurus, Allen's tubelip Labropsis alleni and the tubelip wrasse Labrichthys unilineatus) were all obligate corallivores taking > 97% of bites from the surface of live corals. Labropsis alleni and D. xanthurus were highly selective, consuming preferred prey species in proportions significantly higher than expected given their availability. In contrast, L. unilineatus was fairly non-selective and consumed most corals in direct accordance with their availability. As coral predators, tubelip wrasses are highly comparable to coral-feeding butterflyfishes in the coral species consumed, range of dietary specialization and their reliance on live coral. Tubelip wrasses, however, may supersede butterflyfishes as the predominant corallivorous family in some Indo-Pacific locations, and coral-feeding tubelip wrasses are likely to be severely affected by coral decline.
Related Topics (5)
Performance Metrics
| Year | Papers |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2010 | 1 |