Symbiote; Otolith; Settlement pattern; Biotic and abiotic factors
Abstract :
[en] Carapidae (or pearlfish) are eel-like fishes living inside different invertebrates, such as holothurians, sea stars or bivalves. In some Polynesian areas where they live in sympatry,
<br />several species (Carapus homei, Carapus mourlani, Carapus boraborensis and Encheliophis
<br />gracilis) are able to inhabit the same host species. The heterospecific infestation rate is very rare, suggesting that the four species can compete for their hosts. Some differences in
<br />settlement period, breeding period and in pelagic larval duration (PLD) could allow better characterisation of the life history of each species. More than 700 larvae were collected during an entire year on the Rangiroa atoll (French Polynesia). Each species was identified; their settlement pattern was examined and their PLD was deduced from otolith (sagittae) increments. In the four collected species, the settlement pattern differed: C. homei and C. mourlani settle on the reef during the entire year, and show an asynchronous and diffuse breeding cycle. C. boraborensis and E. gracilis have a shorter settlement period which could be compatible with breeding synchronisation. As most reef fishes, Carapidae larvae mainly settle during moonless nights. Moreover, each species presents some plasticity, allowing it to settle on the reef under suitable conditions.
Campana, S.E., Neilson, J.D., Microstructure of fish otoliths (1985) Can J Fish Aquat Sci, 42, pp. 1014-1031
Conand, C., Reproductive biology of the holothurians from the major communities of the New Caledonian Lagoon (1993) Mar Biol, 116, pp. 439-450
Dufour, V., Riclet, E., Lo-Yat, A., Colonization of reef fishes at Moorea Island, French Polynesia: Temporal and spatial variation of the larval flux (1996) Mar Freshw Res, 47, pp. 413-422
Govoni, J.J., Olney, J.E., Markle, D.F., Observations on structure and evaluation of possible functions of the vexillum in larval Carapidae (Ophidiiformes) (1984) Bull Mar Sci, 34, pp. 60-70
Green, B.S., Fisher, R., Temperature influences swimming speed, growth and larval duration in a coral reef fish larvae (2004) J Exp Mar Biol Ecol, 299, pp. 115-132
Gustato, G., Villari, A., Villani, G., Ulteriori dati sul comportamento di Carapus acus (Ophidioidei, Percomorphi) (1979) Boll Soc Nat Napoli, 88, pp. 505-535
Jones, G.P., Planes, S., Thorrold, S.R., Coral reef fish larvae settle close to home (2005) Curr Biol, 15, pp. 1314-1318
Leis, J.M., Sale, P.F., The pelagic stage of reef fishes (1991) The Ecology of Fishes on Coral Reefs, pp. 183-230. , Academic San Diego
Lo-Yat, A., (2002) Variabilité Temporelle de la Colonisation Par des Larves de Poisons de l'Atoll de Rangiroa (Tuamotu, Polynésie Française) et Utilisation de l'Outil "otolithe" de Ces Larves, 350p. , PhD Thesis, Université Française du Pacifique
Markle, D.F., Olney, J.E., Systematics of the pearlfishes (Pisces: Carapidae) (1990) Bull Mar Sci, 47, pp. 269-410. , 2
McCormick, M.I., Variability in age and size at settlement of the tropical goatfish Upuneus tragula (Mullidae) in the northern Great Barrier Reef Lagoon (1994) Mar Ecol Prog Ser, 103, pp. 1-15
McCormick, M.I., Delayed metamorphosis of a tropical reef fish (Acanthurus triostegus): A field experiment (1999) Mar Ecol Prog Ser, 176, pp. 25-38
McCormick, M.I., Molony, B.W., Effects of feeding history on the growth characteristics of a reef fish at settlement (1992) Mar Biol, 114, pp. 165-173
McCormick, M.I., Molony, B.W., Influence of water temperature during the larval stage on size, age and body condition of a tropical reef fishes at settlement (1995) Mar Ecol Prog Ser, 118, pp. 59-68
Meyer-Rochow, V.B., Comparison between 15 Carapus mourlani in a single holothurian and 19 Carapus mourlani from starfish (1977) Copeia, 1977, pp. 582-585
Meyer-Rochow, V.B., Stomach and gut content of Carapus mourlani from starfish and a holothurian (1979) Ann Zool Fenn, 16, pp. 287-289
Montgomery, J.C., Tolimieri, N., Haine, O.S., Active habitat selection by pre-settlement reef fishes (2001) Fish Fish, 2, pp. 261-277
Padoa, E., Note di ittologia mediterranea. Nota V. Forme post-larvali egiovanili di Carapus (sin. Fierasfer) (1947) Pubbl Stn Zool Napoli, 20, pp. 111-121
Panella, G., Fish otoliths: Daily growth layers and periodical patterns (1971) Science, 174, pp. 1124-1126
Parmentier, E., (2003) Contribution à l'Étude des Relations Entre des Poissons de la Famille des Carapidae et Leurs Hôtes Invertébrés: Une Approche Mutidisciplinaire, 229p. , PhD Thesis, University of Liege, Belgium
Parmentier, E., Das, K., Commensal vs. parasitic relationship between Carapini fish and their hosts*some further insight through δ13C and δ15N measurements (2004) J Exp Mar Biol Ecol, 310, pp. 47-58
Parmentier, E., Vandewalle, P., Val, A.L., Kapoor, B.G., Morphological adaptations of pearlfish (Carapidae) to their various habitats (2003) Fish Adaptations, pp. 261-276. , Oxford & IBH New Delhi, India
Parmentier, E., Vandewalle, P., Further insight on carapid-holothuroid relationships (2005) Mar Biol, 146, pp. 455-465
Parmentier, E., Chardon, M., Mathieu, P., Morphology of the buccal apparatus and related structure in four Carapidae (1999) Aust J Zool, 46, pp. 391-404
Parmentier, E., Castro-Aguirre, J.L., Vandewalle, P., Morphological comparison of the buccal apparatus in two bivalve commensal Teleostei: Encheliophis dubius and Onuxodon fowleri (Carapidae, Ophidiiformes) (2000) Zoomorphology, 120, pp. 29-37
Parmentier, E., Vandewalle, P., Lo-Yat, A., Identification of four French Polynesia tenuis Carapini (Carapidae: Teleostei) (2002) J Fish Biol, 58, pp. 1046-1061
Parmentier, E., Lecchini, D., Lagardère, F., Vandewalle, P., Ontogenic and ecological control of metamorphosis onset in a carapid fish, Carapus homei: Experimental evidence from vertebra and otolith comparisons (2004) J Exp Zool, 301, pp. 617-628
Parmentier, E., Lecchini, D., Vandewalle, P., Remodelling of the vertebral axis during metamorphic shrinkage in the pearlfish (2004) J Fish Biol, 64, pp. 159-169
Planes, S., Genetic differentiation in relation to restricted larval dispersal of the convict surgeonfish Acanthurus triostegus in French Polynesia (1993) Mar Ecol Prog Ser, 98, pp. 237-246
Planes, S., Parroni, M., Chauvet, C., Evidence of limited gene flow in three species of coral-reef fishes in the lagoon of New Caledonia (1998) Mar Biol, 130, pp. 361-368
Planes, S., Romans, P., Lecomte-Finiger, R., Genetic evidence of closed life-cycles for some coral reef fishes within Taiaro Lagoon (Tuamotu Archipelago, French Polynesia) (1998) Coral Reefs, 17, pp. 9-14
Roberts, C.M., Connectivity and management of Caribbean coral reefs (1997) Science, 278, pp. 1454-1457
Robertson, D.R., Patterns of lunar settlement and early recruitment in Caribbean reef fishes at Panama (1992) Mar Biol, 114, pp. 527-537
Robertson, D.R., Petersen, C.W., Brawn, J.D., Lunar reproductive cycles of benthic-brooding reef fishes: Reflections of larval biology or adult biology? (1990) Ecol Monogr, 60, pp. 311-329
Smith, C.L., Some pearlfishes from Guam, with notes on their ecology (1964) Pac Sci, 18, pp. 34-40
Smith, C.L., Tyler, J.C., Observations on the commensal relationship of the western Atlantic pearlfish, Carapus bermudensis, and holothurians (1969) Copeia, 1969, pp. 206-208
Smith, C.L., Tyler, J.C., Feinberg, M.N., Population ecology and biology on the pearlfish (Carapus bermudensis) in the lagoon at Bimini, Bahamas (1981) Bull Mar Sci, 31, pp. 876-902
Sponaugle, S., Pinkard, D., Lunar cyclic population of a coral reef fish: Shifting patterns following oceanic events (2004) Mar Ecol Prog Ser, 267, pp. 267-280
Strasburg, D.W., Larval carapid fishes from Hawaii, with remarks on the ecology of adults (1961) Copeia, 1961, pp. 478-480
Taylor, R.W., Van Dyke, G.C., Revised procedure for staining and clearing small fishes and other vertebrates for bone and cartilage study (1985) Cybium, 2, pp. 107-119
Trott, L.B., Contribution of the biology of carapid fishes (Paracanthopterygian: Gadiformes) (1970) Univ Calif Publ Zool, 89, pp. 1-41
Trott, L.B., Trott, E.B., Pearlfishes (Carapidae: Gadiforme) collected from Puerto Galera, Minobra, Philippines (1972) Copeia, 1972, pp. 839-843
Vandenspiegel, D., Jangoux, M., La symbiose entre poissons Carapidae et Holothuries autour de l'île de Laing (Mer de Bismarck, Papouasie Nouvelle Guinée) (1989) Indo-Malayan Zool, 6, pp. 223-228
Victor, B.C., Duration of the planktonic stage of one hundred species of Pacific and Atlantic wrasses (family Labridae) (1986) Mar Biol, 90, pp. 317-326
Victor, B.C., Sale, P.F., Settlement strategies and biogeography of reef fishes (1991) The Ecology of Fishes on Coral Reefs, pp. 231-260. , Academic San Diego
Wellington, G.M., Victor, B.C., Regional differences in duration of the planktonic larval stage of reef fishes in the eastern Pacific ocean (1992) Mar Biol, 113, pp. 491-498
Williams, D.M., Patterns in the distribution of fish communities across the central Great Barrier Reef (1982) Coral Reefs, 1, pp. 35-43
Wilson, D.T., McCormick, M.I., Microstructure of settlement-marks in the otoliths of tropical reef fishes (1999) Mar Biol, 134, pp. 29-41