Ecology Summary - Abudefduf saxatilis

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Main Ref.	Randall, J.E., 1967
Remarks	Inhabits inshore and offshore coral or rocky reefs (Ref. 7247). Juveniles are common in tide pools while adults found over shallow reef tops. Adults frequently form large feeding aggregations of up to several hundred individuals. It feeds primarily as a browsing herbivore (Ref. 275). Food items include algae, small crustaceans and fish, and various invertebrate larvae (Refs. 3139, 127989). Feeds on spinner dolphins’ feces and vomits at Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, southeast Atlantic. The offal feeding may be regarded as a simple behavioral shift from plankton feeding to drifting offal picking. Also, juveniles hold cleaning stations together with the doctorfish (Acanthurus chirurgus) and the blue tang (Acanthurus coeruleus) and graze algae as well as pick molted skin and parasites from green turtles (Chelonia mydas ). This behavior is preceded by a characteristic inspection usually followed by feeding nips on the turtles’ skin (head, limbs, and tail), as well as on the carapace. The most inspected and cleaned body parts are the flippers (Ref. 48727, 51385). Littoral species. Forms small to medium groups (Ref. 127989).

Main Ref.

Randall, J.E., 1967

Remarks

Inhabits inshore and offshore coral or rocky reefs (Ref. 7247). Juveniles are common in tide pools while adults found over shallow reef tops. Adults frequently form large feeding aggregations of up to several hundred individuals. It feeds primarily as a browsing herbivore (Ref. 275). Food items include algae, small crustaceans and fish, and various invertebrate larvae (Refs. 3139, 127989). Feeds on spinner dolphins’ feces and vomits at Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, southeast Atlantic. The offal feeding may be regarded as a simple behavioral shift from plankton feeding to drifting offal picking. Also, juveniles hold cleaning stations together with the doctorfish (Acanthurus chirurgus) and the blue tang (Acanthurus coeruleus) and graze algae as well as pick molted skin and parasites from green turtles (Chelonia mydas ). This behavior is preceded by a characteristic inspection usually followed by feeding nips on the turtles’ skin (head, limbs, and tail), as well as on the carapace. The most inspected and cleaned body parts are the flippers (Ref. 48727, 51385). Littoral species. Forms small to medium groups (Ref. 127989).

Aquatic zones / Water bodies

	Marine - Neritic	Marine - Oceanic	Brackishwater	Freshwater
Marine zones / Brackish and freshwater bodies	supra-littoral zone littoral zone sublittoral zone	epipelagic mesopelagic epipelagic abyssopelagic hadopelagic	estuaries/lagoons/brackish seas mangroves marshes/swamps	rivers/streams lakes/ponds caves exclusively in caves

Highighted items on the list are where Abudefduf saxatilis may be found.

Habitat

Substrate	Benthic; Soft Bottom: sand; Hard Bottom: rocky;
Substrate Ref.	Golani, D., E. Azurro, J. Dulčić, E. Massutí and L. Orsi-Relini, 2021
Special habitats	Coral Reefs;
Special habitats Ref.	Nguyen, N.T. and V.Q. Nguyen, 2006

Associations

Ref.
Associations
Associated with	Cleaned by goby (Gobiosoma evelynae and others) and hogfish (Bodianus rufus) as observed on the coral reefs in Bonaire (Ref. 36810); also Elacatinus figaro observed off the coast of São Paulo, Brazil (Ref. 40102).
Association remarks	Also cleaned by Thalassoma noronhanum observed at Fernando de Noronha Archipelago off northeastern Brazil (Ref. 36301).
Parasitism

Feeding

Feeding type	plants/detritus+animals (troph. 2.2-2.79)
Feeding type Ref.	Dominici-Arosemena, A. and M. Wolff, 2005
Feeding habit	variable
Feeding habit Ref.	Dominici-Arosemena, A. and M. Wolff, 2005

Trophic Level(s)

Estimation method	Original sample		Unfished population		Remark
Estimation method	Troph	s.e.	Troph	s.e.	Remark
From diet composition	3.82	0.17	3.34	0.38	Troph of juv./adults from 1 study.
From individual food items	2.76	0.32			Trophic level estimated from a number of food items using a randomized resampling routine.
Ref.	Randall, J.E., 1967

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