Group structure and home range of the cleaner wrasse Labroides dimidiatus in Tateyama Bay, Chiba, Japan

Abstract

Group structure and cleaning behavior of the cleaner wrasse Labroides dimidiatus were studied in Tateyama Bay, Chiba, Japan. Two males and four females on a rocky reef, and one male and five females on an artificial reef were confirmed as haremic groups. The home ranges of the former were extensive and those of the latter relatively narrow. The host species, which were cleaned by L. dimidiatus, were widely distributed over the rocky reef, but, restricted to a limited area on the artificial reef, indicating that the home range sizes of the cleaner wrasse may be determined by the distribution of the host species.