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Predation on parasitic gnathiid isopods on coral reefs: a comparison of Caribbean cleaning gobies with non-cleaning microcarnivores

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Abstract

On coral reefs, gnathiid isopods are a common blood-feeding ectoparasite of reef fishes that can have significant impacts on reef-fish health and fitness. Cleaner fishes and shrimps are the only major documented predators of gnathiids, removing them from the bodies of host fishes. However, gnathiids spend most of their lifecycle free living and thus may be eaten by other microcarnivorous fishes that collectively could have larger impacts on gnathiid populations. This study examined gut contents from Caribbean nocturnal reef microcarnivorous fish and from the Caribbean cleaning goby Elacatinus evelynae for the presence of gnathiid isopods. Among nocturnal microcarnivores, gnathiids were found in only a small proportion of the gut contents of grunts (5%) and cardinalfish (4%), but in a higher proportion of the gut contents of squirrelfish and soldierfish (26%). In comparison, most cleaning gobies collected in the morning had gnathiids (93%), with an average of 6.3 gnathiids per fish. While microcarnivorous fishes ate far fewer gnathiids, they were present in much greater numbers than cleaning gobies. These results support previous studies on cleaning gobies suggesting that individually, they consume high numbers of gnathiids. However, they also suggest that collectively, other predators could have an equal or greater impact on gnathiid populations.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the staff of the MacLean Marine Science Center of the University of the Virgin Islands and of the Virgin Islands Environmental Resource Station (VIERS). We thank the Falconwood Corporation and Staff of the Guana Island Resort. We also wish to thank C. Belyea, E. Brill, J. Buford, V. Davis, A. Elsishans, G. Hendrick, A. McCammon, M. Nicholson, S. Richter, S. Robles, T. Santos, J. Sellers, A. Simons, C. Spitzer, J. Wagner, and R. Welicky for invaluable support in the field. This work was funded in part by grants from the US National Science Foundation (OCE-121615 and OCE-1536794, PC Sikkel, PI). This is contribution number 179 from the University of the Virgin Islands Center for Marine and Environmental Studies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Program in Environmental Sciences, Arkansas State University, PO Box 847, State University, AR, 72467, USA

    John M. Artim, Alexandra Hook, Richard S. Grippo & Paul C. Sikkel

  2. Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, PO Box 599, State University, AR, 72467, USA

    John M. Artim, Alexandra Hook, Richard S. Grippo & Paul C. Sikkel

  3. Water Research Group, Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom, 2520, South Africa

    Paul C. Sikkel

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  1. John M. Artim
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Correspondence to Paul C. Sikkel.

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Artim, J.M., Hook, A., Grippo, R.S. et al. Predation on parasitic gnathiid isopods on coral reefs: a comparison of Caribbean cleaning gobies with non-cleaning microcarnivores. Coral Reefs 36, 1213–1223 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-017-1613-6

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