Abstract
I surveyed social groupings in 18 butterflyfish species of genus Chaetodon, focusing on how many individuals usually swim together in the reproductive season. Social groupings in 4 of the 18 species were first reported. Six of the 18 species were also observed in the nonreproductive seasons. Three species, of which 2 species were found to be monogamous, spent less time swimming with their partner during the nonreproductive season than the reproductive season. This observation is consistent with the hypothesis that the function of pair swimming is to increase the egg production of the female.
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Yabuta, S. Social groupings in 18 species of butterflyfish and pair bond weakening during the nonreproductive season. Ichthyol Res 54, 207–210 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10228-006-0391-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10228-006-0391-x