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Pelagic larval duration of the Meso-American reef fish, Halichoeres socialis (Labridae)

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Abstract

Halichoeres socialis Randall & Lobel, 2003, is the only wrasse species (Teleostei: Labridae), with a distribution confined within the Western Caribbean’s Bay of Honduras region and is most concentrated in the Meso-American Barrier Reef (MABR) lagoon of Belize. This study examined the early life history of H. socialis to gain insight into its natural history and to assess if any pattern in otolith microstructure could be linked to its biogeography. The sagittal otoliths from 67 individuals (ranging 9.8–43.4 mm SL) were analyzed to determine the daily age and increment profile. Results indicate that (1) H. socialis displays a typical “settlement mark”; (2) the pelagic larval duration (PLD) ranged from 22 to 32 (mean = 27, n = 59) days, which was similar to its congeners; and (3) the juvenile growth rate is 0.7 mm/d, which was faster than most congeners. The biogeography of H. socialis is not explained by its PLD. Alternatively, it is possible that larval behaviors (vertical migration and/or schooling) play a key factor in the distribution of H. socialis larvae.

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Data availability

The datasets generated from the current study are in the supplemental files. Contact the corresponding author for additional information.

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Acknowledgements

We thank D. Ross Robertson and an anonymous reviewer for unpublished information on biogeography. Field collection of specimens was conducted under a research permit issued by The Belize Fisheries dept. and the auspices of the Wee Caye Marine Laboratory, Belize.

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  1. Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA

    Zhi-Xian Sun & Phillip S. Lobel

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  1. Zhi-Xian Sun
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Correspondence to Phillip S. Lobel.

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This research followed the ASIH “Guidelines for Live Amphibians and Reptiles in Field and Laboratory Research” and was conducted under a Boston University IACUC protocol.

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Dr. Phillip Lobel is on the Editorial Board of this journal, but he was not involved in the peer review of this article and had no access to information regarding its peer review.

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The field research was conducted as part of the Boston University Marine Program’s field course on coral reef fish ecology in 2001.

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Sun, ZX., Lobel, P.S. Pelagic larval duration of the Meso-American reef fish, Halichoeres socialis (Labridae). Environ Biol Fish 106, 1971–1982 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-023-01477-z

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