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Unusual Substrate to Grow: When Macroalgae Grow on the Upper Jaw of a Pufferfish

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Abstract

Following a predation injury, one pufferfish (Arothron hispidus) had its upper jaw colonized with macroalgae. The fish has since lived for at least one year with this algal assemblage (unidentified red algae, Padina boryana and Dictyota bartayresiana). This algal proliferation caused a malformation of the fish jaw, raising the question of its survival with a physical defect in coral reefs, which are biodiversity but also predation hotspots.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Paris Sciences and Letters (PSL) Research University, École Pratique des Hautes Études—University of Perpignan Via Domitia—National Centre for Scientific Research (EPHE-UPVD-CNRS), Centre de Recherches Insulaires et Observatoire de l’Environnement (CRIOBE) Research Unit USR 3278, Papetoai, Moorea, French Polynesia

    C. Berthe & D. Lecchini

  2. Laboratoire d’Excellence Corail, Perpignan, France

    C. Berthe & D. Lecchini

  3. Espace Bleu, Vaitape, Bora Bora, French Polynesia

    J. Sowinski & L. Sowinski

Authors
  1. C. Berthe
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  2. D. Lecchini
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  3. J. Sowinski
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  4. L. Sowinski
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to D. Lecchini.

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Conflict of interests. The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Statement on the welfare of animals. All applicable international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed.

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Berthe, C., Lecchini, D., Sowinski, J. et al. Unusual Substrate to Grow: When Macroalgae Grow on the Upper Jaw of a Pufferfish. J. Ichthyol. 62, 320–321 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0032945222020023

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0032945222020023

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