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Home range and movement patterns of the Redlip Parrotfish (Scarus rubroviolaceus) in Hawaii

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Abstract

The activity and movement of the Redlip Parrotfish, Scarus rubroviolaceus, near Wawaloli reef, Hawaii (19°43′06″N, 156°03′11″W), was investigated with active and passive tracking techniques from April through November 2007. Site fidelity was determined and home range sizes were measured for 21 individuals. All individuals showed strong diurnal activity patterns and relatively stable home ranges. Terminal phase individuals had larger home range areas than initial phase fish, and home range size increased with depth. Occasional long forays from the home range were observed in many individuals. Forays often occurred in crepuscular hours and may represent migrations to/from nocturnal sheltering sites. Findings from this study underscore the importance of depth and nighttime shelter migrations as design considerations for effective marine protected areas (MPA) for large parrotfishes.

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Acknowledgments

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council provided funding for this project. This research was also funded in part by a grant/cooperative agreement from NOAA, Project # R/FM-25, sponsored by the University of Hawaii Sea Grant College Program, SOEST, under Institutional Grant No. NA05OAR4171048 from NOAA Office of Sea Grant, Department of Commerce. The views expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of NOAA or any of its subagencies. UNIHI-SEAGRANT-JC-06-22. Major equipment and logistical support were provided by the Hawaii Cooperative Fishery Research Unit, U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Hawaii. This research also received both financial and logistical support from the Hawaii Division of Aquatic Resources and generous logistical support from the U.S. National Park Service Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park. The use of trade, firm, or corporation names in this publication is for the convenience of the reader. Such use does not constitute an official endorsement or approval by the U.S. Government of any product or service to the exclusion of others that may be suitable. We would like to thank T.E. Cox, A. Meyer, L. Mehl, L. Thurston, and S. Knight for contributions in the field. A special thanks to P. Aldrich for statistical assistance. Thanks also to K. Cole, D. Carlon, M. McGranaghan, and C. Birkeland for assistance in editing. We also greatly appreciate the input provided by Dr. Howard Choat and the anonymous reviewers whose comments substantially increased the quality of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Commercial Fisheries, Anchorage, AK, 99518, USA

    Kathrine G. Howard

  2. Department of Zoology, University of Hawaii-Manoa, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USA

    Kathrine G. Howard, Jeremy T. Claisse, Timothy B. Clark, Kelly Boyle & James D. Parrish

  3. Vantuna Research Group, Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA, 90041, USA

    Jeremy T. Claisse

  4. National Park of American Samoa, Pago Pago, AS, 96799, USA

    Timothy B. Clark

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  1. Kathrine G. Howard
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  2. Jeremy T. Claisse
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Correspondence to Kathrine G. Howard.

Additional information

Communicated by K. D. Clements.

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227_2013_2211_MOESM1_ESM.pdf

Online Resource 1 Kernel home range estimates for each of the parrotfish used in analyses. Dark gray illustrates the core use area (50% probability in the Kernel Home Range estimate), and light gray represents the total home range estimated (95% probability contour). Each individual home range is outlined in a distinct color Individual home ranges can be cross-referenced by number in Table 4 and Figure 2. Bathymetry is displayed behind home ranges by solid black lines at 5 meter increments (PDF 424 kb)

227_2013_2211_MOESM2_ESM.eps

Online Resource 2 a) Kernel home ranges for the individual that left its territory (in red, F-Ch, home range identification #6, Table 5) and the neighboring male (in gray, Y-G, home range identification #5, Table 5). b) The new home range established by the neighboring male (Y-G, Table 5) after the disappearance of F-Ch (Table 5). The previously occupied territory location is illustrated by the red outline (EPS 469 kb)

Supplementary material 3 (EPS 470 kb)

227_2013_2211_MOESM4_ESM.eps

Online Resource 3 Observed shift from deeper receivers (16 and 14 represented in yellow and red symbols) to shallower receiver (13 in pink symbol) later in the year for WW-W (home range identification #13, Table 5). Symbols represent detections on specific receivers from this individual. (EPS 3991 kb)

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Howard, K.G., Claisse, J.T., Clark, T.B. et al. Home range and movement patterns of the Redlip Parrotfish (Scarus rubroviolaceus) in Hawaii. Mar Biol 160, 1583–1595 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-013-2211-y

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