Yellow longnose butterflyfish

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Yellow longnose butterflyfish
Forcipiger flavissimus Yellow Longnose Butterflyfish Papua New Guinea by Nick Hobgood.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Acanthuriformes
Family: Chaetodontidae
Genus: Forcipiger
Species:
F. flavissimus
Binomial name
Forcipiger flavissimus

The yellow longnose butterflyfish or forceps butterflyfish (Forcipiger flavissimus) is a species of marine fish in the family Chaetodontidae.

Contents

It is a small fish which grows up to 22 cm (8.7 in) in length. [2] [3]

In the Aquarium

This species can also be found in the aquarium trade relatively easily. These butterflyfishes are less likely to consume corals and other sessile invertebrates, which is the single most well known and iconic trait of most butterfly fishes, and is typically the prohibiting factor for not keeping them in reef aquaria that contain large amounts of fleshy coral, than other members of their family. These butterfly fish have a viable tolerance to chelated and ionic copper medications, and thus can be kept in quarantine systems that employ these anti-parasitic techniques. These fish, like most butterfly fishes, are territorial and should be kept either singly, or in large systems and added together.

Range and Distribution

The yellow longnose butterflyfish is widespread throughout the tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific area from the eastern coast of Africa to Hawaii, Red Sea included, and is also found in the eastern Pacific Ocean from Baja California to the Revillagigedo Islands and the Galapagos. [1] [2]

It is a small fish which grows up to 22 cm (8.7 in) in length. [2] [4]

In the Aquarium

This species can also be found in the aquarium trade relatively easily. These butterflyfishes are less likely to consume corals and other sessile invertebrates, which is the single most well known and iconic trait of most butterfly fishes, and is typically the prohibiting factor for not keeping them in reef aquaria that contain large amounts of fleshy coral, than other members of their family. These butterfly fish have a viable tolerance to chelated and ionic copper medications, and thus can be kept in quarantine systems that employ these anti-parasitic techniques. These fish, like most butterfly fishes, are territorial and should be kept either singly, or in large systems and added together.

Territoriality

Being territorial, yellow longnose butterflyfish patrol their patches of coral with a monogamous partner. However, instances of overt aggression among F. flavissimus have been observed between territory holders and individuals of the same sex. Chasing is rare, but when it does occur, males chase males and females chase females. [5] Females defend food resources from other females, while males defend territories containing a female from other males. [6]

Territoriality is a favorable strategy for a species to adopt primarily when resources are temporally stable, predictable, and evenly distributed throughout a territory. [7] Territoriality is commonly displayed by benthic-feeding longnose butterflyfish, therefore, because their main dietary resources fulfill these characteristics. [8] Their monogamous pairing appears to be closely linked to their territorial behavior. [8] Although several could cause a species to evolve monogamous behavior, the necessity for biparental care does not apply to longnose butterflyfish because they lay pelagic, or freely floating, eggs. One source of selective pressure responsible for the monogamous pairs observed could be the advantage of territorial defense it provides. Monogamy is favored when a pair makes the defense of one or more resources more efficient than defense by a solitary individual. [8] Longnose butterflyfish pairs have been confirmed by studies to be heterosexual and pair fidelity has been observed for periods of up to seven or more years. [5]

Besides the advertisement displays accomplished through monogamous pairing, territorial domination by longnose butterflyfish has also been observed by means of acoustic behaviors, which provide important cues and social signals during fish communication. [9] Emitting sounds through complicated body movements is another technique they use to advertise territorial boundaries. Potential rivals are able to assess body size of a competitor based on the duration and intensity of the sound a yellow longnose butterflyfish produces. [9] The duration and intensity of the sounds emitted during antagonistic behaviors, such as the defense of one's territory, often predict the ability of an individual to secure that territory. [9] A sound of long duration and high intensity, therefore, often indicates an individual has a large territory. Defending territory is the strategy these species adopt to compete for and maximize their claims over resources.

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lined butterflyfish</span> Species of fish

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eritrean butterflyfish</span> Species of fish

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melon butterflyfish</span> Species of fish

The melon butterflyfish or the Indian redfin butterflyfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is found in the Indian Ocean from East Africa to Western Java. This is one species of a closely related group which includes the blacktail butterflyfish of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden and the oval butterflyfish which is found in the western Pacific, from eastern coasts of the Indonesian islands to Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pearlscale butterflyfish</span> Species of fish

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oval butterflyfish</span> Species of fish

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mirror butterflyfish</span> Species of fish

The mirror butterflyfish or oval-spot butterflyfish is a species of butterflyfish. It is found in the Indo-Pacific region from Indonesia to Japan and south to the Great Barrier Reef and Papua New Guinea. The species has also been reported from Madagascar, Mauritius and Réunion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern triangle butterflyfish</span> Species of fish

The eastern triangle butterflyfish, also known as the baroness butterflyfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. It is found in the central Indo-West Pacific region from the Cocos-Keeling Islands and Indonesia in the eastern Indian Ocean to Fiji and Tonga, north to southern Japan, south to New Caledonia and New South Wales in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seychelles butterflyfish</span> Species of fish

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Forcipiger longirostris, commonly known as the longnose butterflyfish or big longnose butterflyfish, is a species of butterflyfish found on coral reefs throughout the tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific. Even with its distinctive, point-like long nose, the longnose butterflyfish still can easily be confused with its more common cousin F. flavissimus. Both species may be kept in aquariums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pebbled butterflyfish</span> Species of fish

The pebbled butterflyfish is a species of marine fish, a butterflyfish from the family Chaetodontidae. It is often found near reefs. They are at most 12 centimetres (4.7 in) in length, and white with yellow, brown, and black markings. These butterflyfish are territorial and form pairs. The pebbled butterflyfish occur near reefs in the eastern central Pacific, and are endemic to waters off the Hawaiian Islands and Johnston Atoll. They have a role in aquarium trade.

<i>Chaetodon pelewensis</i> Species of fish

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<i>Hemitaurichthys zoster</i> Species of fish

Hemitaurichthys zoster, commonly known as the brown-and-white butterflyfish, black pyramid butterflyfish, zoster butterflyfish, or brushtooth butterflyfish, is a marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae native to the Indian Ocean.

<i>Chaetodon aureofasciatus</i> Species of fish

Chaetodon aureofasciatus, the golden butterflyfish, golden-banded butterflyfish, golden-striped butterflyfish or sunburst butterflyfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. This coral eating species is found on shallow reefs in the western Pacific Ocean.

References

  1. 1 2 Myers, R.F.; Pratchett, M. (2010). "Forcipiger flavissimus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2010: e.T165716A6099950. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T165716A6099950.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Forcipiger flavissimus". FishBase . December 2019 version.
  3. ↑ Lieske & Myers,Coral reef fishes,Princeton University Press, 2009, ISBN   9780691089959
  4. ↑ Lieske & Myers,Coral reef fishes,Princeton University Press, 2009, ISBN   9780691089959
  5. 1 2 E. A. Whiteman; I. M. Cote (March 2007). "Monogamy in marine fishes". Biological Reviews. 79 (2): 351–375. doi:10.1017/S1464793103006304. PMID   15191228.
  6. ↑ Hourigan, Thomas F. (May 1989). "Environmental determinants of butterflyfish social systems". Environmental Biology of Fishes. 25 (1–3): 61–78. Bibcode:1989EnvBF..25...61H. doi:10.1007/BF00002201.
  7. ↑ Bouchon-Navaro, Yolande (December 1986). "Partitioning of food and space resources by chaetodontid fishes on coral reefs". Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. 103 (1–3): 21–40. Bibcode:1986JEMBE.103...21B. doi:10.1016/0022-0981(86)90130-9.
  8. 1 2 3 Callum M. Roberts; Rupert F. G. Ormond (May 1992). "Butterflyfish social behaviour, with special reference to the incidence of territoriality: a review". Environmental Biology of Fishes. 34 (1): 79–93. Bibcode:1992EnvBF..34...79R. doi:10.1007/BF00004786.
  9. 1 2 3 Kelly S. Boyle & Timothy C. Tricas (November 2011). "Sound production in the longnose butterflyfishes (genus Forcipiger): cranial kinematics, muscle activity and honest signals". The Journal of Experimental Biology. 214 (Pt 22): 3829–3842. doi: 10.1242/jeb.062554 . PMID   22031748.
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