CARR and ADAMS: CLEANING HABIT IN LEATHERJACKET AND SPOTTAIL PINFISH 



sug"gestive interspecific associations of 0. saurus, 

 the notes of Breder (1942) on the unusual "leaf- 

 mimic" behavior of juveniles of this species may 

 well be related to its cleaning behavior. Like- 

 wise the potent sting associated with the dorsal 

 and anal spines, and the exaggerated size of 

 these spines in juveniles (Breder, 1942) , is likely 

 to be an adaptation providing a degree of im- 

 munity from predation in this species. Oligo- 

 plites has not been found in the stomachs of any 

 of the fishes we have examined even though ju- 

 veniles of this species are very common in the 

 area. We are currently investigating a change 

 in dentition, quite likely related to the cleaning 

 habit, which is exhibited by this species. Ju- 

 veniles have an outer row of closely fitting, dis- 

 tinctly flattened, incisorform teeth which are 

 seemingly well adapted to the task of scraping 

 or of tearing objects from surfaces. In adults 

 these teeth are more widely separated and 

 caniform. 



Limbaugh (1961) and Feder (1966) have gen- 

 eralized that cleaners in the Temperate Zone 

 tend to be more gregarious and less brightly 

 colored or contrastingly marked than cleaners 

 in tropical waters. These generalizations have 

 been criticized by Hobson (1969). Field obser- 

 vations of juveniles of both 0. saurus and D. hoU 

 brooki reveal that both species are gregarious 

 and swim about in small schools of frequently 

 several dozen individuals. Whereas 0. saurus 

 is a rather unspectacular dull olive color, D. hol- 

 brooki possesses a bright silver sheen with a 

 large pronounced black spot on the caudal pe- 

 duncle. Hence the characteristics of these two 

 cleaners from temperate waters provide both 

 support and dissent to the generalizations of 

 Limbaugh and Feder. Since 0. saurus is also 

 found in tropical waters, evidence of cleaning 

 activity there would result in this species being 

 ranked among the most unspectacularly colored 

 of the tropical cleaners. 



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 



This study was supported by a grant from 

 Florida Power Corporation which provided 

 funds to a team of investigators, headed by Dr. 

 W. E. Bolch, at the University of Florida for an 



investigation of pre-operational levels of radio- 

 nuclides present in the vicinity of the construc- 

 tion site of a nuclear powered electrical gener- 

 ating station near Crystal River, Fla. A portion 

 of this investigation involves the determination 

 of food chains whereby radionuclides may be 

 transmitted to marine organisms and to man. 

 We are grateful for the cooperation of Florida 

 Power Corporation in providing access to their 

 grounds, encouraging publication of findings, 

 and permitting a considerable degree of latitude 

 in the nature of peripheral studies supported 

 under this grant. Salary for an undergraduate 

 assistant was provided by the Division of Bio- 

 logical Sciences, University of Florida, from a 

 grant for Estuarine Studies. We are indebted 

 to Dr. Carter R. Gilbert of the Florida State 

 Museum for frequent assistance with the identi- 

 fication of fish, for providing collections of fish 

 for comparative studies, and for constructive 

 criticisms of the manuscript. Dr. Frank J. S. 

 Maturo of the Department of Zoology provided 

 assistance with the identification of inverte- 

 brates occurring in stomachs of fish. 



LITERATURE CITED 



Beebe, W., AND J. Tee-Van. 



1928. The fishes of Port-au-Prince Bay, Haiti, with 

 a summary of the known species of marine fish 

 of the island of Haiti and Santo Domingo. Zoo- 

 logica (N.Y.) 10:1-279. 

 Breder, C. M., Jr. 



1942. On the behavior of young Oligoplites saurus 



(Bloch and Schneider). Copeia 1942:267. 

 1962. Interaction between the fishes Mugil and 

 Lagodon. Copeia 1962:662-663. 

 Caldwell, D. K. 



1955. Notes on the distribution, spawning, and 

 growth of the spottailed pinfish, Diplodus hol- 

 brooki. Q. J. Fla. Acad. Sci. 18:73-83. 

 Feder, H. M. 



1966. Cleaning symbiosis in the marine environ- 

 ment. In S. M. Henry, (editor), Symbiosis, Vol. 

 I, p. 327-380. Academic Press, N.Y. 

 Hass, H. 



1953. Manta: Under the Red Sea with spear and 

 camera. (Translated from the German by J. 

 Cleugh.) Rand McNally, Chic, 278 p. 

 Hobson, E. S. 



1969. Comments on certain recent generalizations 

 regarding cleaning symbiosis in fishes. Pac. Sci. 

 23:35-39. 



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