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Differential Food Selection by Moray Eels and a Possible Role of the Mucous Envelope of Parrot Fishes in Reduction of Predation!

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Differential Food Selection by Moray Eels and a Possible Role of the Mucous Envelope of Parrot Fishes in Reduction of Predation! NOTES AND COMMENT DIFFERENTIAL FOOD SELECTION BY MORAY EELS AND A POSSIBLE ROLE OF THE MUCOUS ENVELOPE OF PARROT FISHES IN REDUCTION OF PREDATION! A mucous envelope which covers certain parrot fishes TABLE I. Predation by 3 individuals of the common at night was described by Winn (1955). The mucus spotted moray eel on 2 species of parrot fishes and a forms an ovoid envelope around the parrot fish at a cyprinodont, Bimini, 1955. Fishes eaten at night were distance from the body with an opening at the mouth replaced so that the predator had a nocturnal choice of and in back of the caudal fin. Such a conspicuous mucous equal numbers of prey of all species fold might well protect the fish from predation at night. Moray eels and sharks are the most notable night Sparisoma predators in the fish fauna of coral reefs. Morays Scarus CToicensis Cyprinodon Sp. chrysopterum especially move over the reefs Parrot Fish with Topminnow Parrot Fish, No from dusk to dawn, look­ Mucous Envelope No Envelope envelope ing for carrion and live prey. Parrot fishes resting at night in protected areas or places on the bottom are ex­ Moray I tremely inactive and therefore might be an easy prey March 8-13 Total prey present for such predators. We have undertaken experiments to .. 18 18 Total prey eaten ... I 7 test whether or not parrot fishes with a mucous fold are less liable to predation than parrot fishes without a March 2~23 mucous fold. Several species of parrot fish were used Total prey present .. 12 12 as prey. The first, Scants croicensis, secreted a mucous Total prey eaten .. 6 0 fold and the others, several species of the genus Spari­ soma, did not. The common spotted moray eel, Gymno­ March 21>-26 thorax m.oringa, which inhabits the reefs where the par­ Total prey present .. 5 6 5 Total prey eaten ... I 0 rot fish are found, was used as the predator. 3 The observations and experiments were initiated at Moray II the Lerner Marine Laboratory, Bimini, Bahamas, by the March 11-16 first author, and were completed at the Bermuda Biologi­ Total prey present .. 18 18 cal Station, Bermuda. Total prey eaten ... 6 2 MATERIAL AND METHODS March 22 In each experiment (Tables I and II) one common Total prey present .. 3 3 3 spotted moray eel ( Gymnothora.r moringa) was placed Total prey eaten . .. I I 3 in a tank with a small pile of rocks at each end. Three Moray III 36 X 18 X 18 inch stainless steel and glass aquaria were March 23 used at Bimini and two wooden tanks 48 X 20 X 15 Total prey present .. 3 3 inches, painted with black asphaltum on the inside and Total prey eaten ... 0 2 having a glass plate for observation on one long side, were used at Bermuda. The tanks were covered to prevent escape of the eels at night. Sea water flowed slowly through the tanks. Six series of predator-prey experiments were carried "sleeping" motionless on the bottom of the tanks. The aquaria out using 6 different moray eels and 5 tanks. The eels were frequently checked just before dark and in ranged approximately from 45 to 60 em in total length. the early morning. The results of each series of ex­ periments From one to 5 days after the morays were set in the are presented in Tables I and II and a sum­ mary tanks, 2, 3, or 4 individuals of S carus croicensis and 2, of all experiments and all first day results is given 3, or 4 individuals of Sparisoma radians at Bermuda or in Table III. Chi-square significance tests were made Sparisoma chrysopterum at Bimini were added (Tables with the table for minimum contrasts required in four­ I and II). Also Cyprinodon sp. was used as prey with fold contingency tables by Mainland, Herrera and Sut­ Scarus croicensis alone and together with a third species, cliffe (1956). Sparisoma chrysopterum (Table I). The prey individuals RESULTS AND DISCUSSION were always of nearly the same size. Every morning the prey fish were counted and those that had been eaten There appears to be a marked tendency for the moray were replaced with new individuals of a comparable size. eel to prey on the species of Sparisoma more readily The moray eels ate these fish at night while they were all than on Scarus croicensis. The total difference in Table III is significant at the one % level. It seems likely that 1 This is contribution No. 251 of the Bermuda Biologi­ the mucous fold of Scarus croicensis reduces effective cal Station and was supported by a grant from the nocturnal predation by the moray eel. The moray uses National Science Foundation to Dr. John E. Bardach. primarily the senses of smell, taste and sometimes touch We wish to express our gratitude to the Director of the in its feeding activities. Smell is used for location of Bermuda Biological Station, Dr. William Sutcliffe, and distant objects but when the front part of the head to Mr. Brunell Spurling for assistance in making this touches the food object an immediate and well oriented study possible. grasping due to taste and touch takes place and the food April, 1959 NOTES AND COMMENT 297 TABLE II. Predation by 3 separate common spotted S. croicensis (Table III). Cyprinodon were much more moray eels on 2 species of parrot fishes at the Bermuda sensitive to disturbances than the parrot fish. This Biological Station, 1956. Fishes eaten at night were greater reactivity apparently made them as difficult to replaced so that the predator had a nocturnal choice of prey on as S. croicensis with the mucous fold. equal numbers of prey of all species Is it possible that the sparisomid parrot fishes are more palatable than Scarus croicensist The morays did not entirely avoid the envelope secreting fishes at night radiam Scarus croicemis Sparisoma of both types fed to morays during the Mucous Envelope No Envelope and individuals day at Bimini seemed to be eaten readily. There were Moray I no observable differences in the way the morays grasped July 5-6 and ate both types. Total prey present. 4 4 The daily replacement of eaten fish with fresh indi­ Total prey eaten .. 1 2 viduals might have affected the outcome of the experi­ July 14-15 ments since fish when first placed in a tank might be Total prey present. 8 8 more readily eaten than those that have been in a tank Total prey eaten .. 3 7 for several days. If this were true one could expect more Sparisoma to be eaten. This is what happened Moray II but apparently for another reason. On the first day there July 15-26 was more predation on Sparisoma and the difference was 48 Total prey present. 48 significant at the one % level. This initial selection for Total prey eaten .. 7 19 Sparisoma persisted throughout the experiments and Moray III demonstrates that prey selection was not directed towards July 16-26 fresh or old tank residents but was due to a difference Total prey present. 39 39 between the species. Total prey eaten. 7 13 At least 3 factors in the experiments might have operated against a selection for the species of Sparisoma and for selection of Scarus croicensis, the opposite of our results. Because of the eels' size and the limited space is swallowed. The grasping reflex is not initiated when of the aquaria the moray could have brushed the mucous the head of the moray touches the mucus and not the envelope away from the parrot fish. The lights were body of the fish. Twice mucus was placed in contact turned on in the laboratory on rare occasions at night with the head of a blinded moray and no grasping or and this caused the parrot fish to break out of their negative reaction occurred, but in several instances a mucous folds. The moray could have eaten one before blinded moray grasped a crushed or freshly dead fish there was time to remake the fold in the dark. Toward when it was placed in contact with the predator's head. the end of the experiments a careful check had to be Apparently the mucus does not supply the proper taste made to see whether or not the ability to make the and/or touch stimuli necessary to elicit the grasping mucous envelope was lost because of starvation. A few response. parrot fish may have been in this condition. These We could not discern any differences in the behavior factors probably would be eliminated in the natural of the two species of parrot fishes at night. They all environment so that the fold would be more effective in remained nearly motionless on the bottom with greatly protection against predation. We cannot say at this time reduced respiratory movements and they could easily be whether or not there is some slight ecological difference picked up by hand. A behavioral difference may explain, between the two types of parrot fishes that would lower however, why Cyprinodon was eaten as infrequently as the effective predation rate on the sparasomids which are not protected by mucous folds. Moray eels apparently eat parrot fishes as well as other species of fish which TABLE III. Summary of the data presented in Tables I are more reactive to disturbances in the dark. In our and II. The total prey offered and eaten in the first 24 experiments all 6 morays preyed more heavily on the hours cannot be seen in Tables I and II.
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