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Ecomorphology and evolution of the pharyngeal apparatus of benthic damselfishes (Pomacentridae, subfamily Stegastinae)

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Abstract

Coral and rocky reefs are productive and complex habitats that favor niche partitioning, the appearance of functional and morphological uniqueness in their inhabitants, and diversification. Members of the damselfish (Pomacentridae) subfamily Stegastinae, with 8 genera and 66 species, are among the most common inhabitants of reefs. Feeding behavior tends to be similar for most members of this subfamily, as they are benthic species that aggressively protects their feeding areas. Their main food sources are algae and invertebrates, but they also feed opportunistically on a wider range of resources. In this study, I analyzed the morphology of the pharyngeal jaw apparatus in an ecological and phylogenetic context to understand the role of these structures in promoting functional capacity and/or diversification. I found variation in the number and morphology of teeth, particularly in the lower pharyngeal jaw. The presence or absence of hard-shelled items in the diet appears to be a factor shaping the evolution of the pharyngeal jaw apparatus. Finally, the pharyngeal plates in the subfamily Stegastinae are highly diverse, reflecting specialization in processing particular prey items.

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Acknowledgements

I wish to thank the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT), Mexico, and the University of California Institute for Mexico and the United States (UC MEXUS), USA, which funded my postdoctoral research, and the Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas (Project PFI2015-06) for support of this project. Kevin McKeegan and Winnie Wu from the Department of Earth, Planetary and Space Sciences of University of California, Los Angeles, helped with the scanning electron microscopy. Lucia Campos (CIBNOR), H.J. Walker (SIO), Phil Hastings (SIO) and Rick Feeney (LACM) assisted in the fish collections. Edward Burress provided his data on cichlids. Three reviewers provided comments and revisions which greatly improved this manuscript.

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  1. Instituto de Ecología Aplicada, Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas, 356 División del Golfo, Col. Libertad, 87029, Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas, Mexico

    Rosalía Aguilar-Medrano

  2. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 621 Charles E. Young Dr. South, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA

    Rosalía Aguilar-Medrano

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Aguilar-Medrano, R. Ecomorphology and evolution of the pharyngeal apparatus of benthic damselfishes (Pomacentridae, subfamily Stegastinae). Mar Biol 164, 21 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-016-3051-3

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