Marine fishes Cleaner fish

a disruptively patterned white-spotted puffer being cleaned conspicuously coloured hawaiian cleaner wrasse

the best known cleaner fish cleaner wrasses of genus labroides found on coral reefs in indian ocean , pacific ocean. these small fish maintain so-called cleaning stations other fish, known hosts, congregate , perform specific movements attract attention of cleaner fish. remarkably, these small cleaner fish safely clean large predatory fish otherwise eat small fish such these.

while derive majority of nutrients removing ectoparasites, cleaner fish feed on mucus , tissue of client fish, these food sources have greater nutritional value. there risk of terminating cleaning interaction if cleaner aggressive, taking mucus , tissue. because of this, cleaners seek balance in feeding between ectoparasites , mucus or tissue.

caribbean cleaning goby elacatinus evelynae

cleaning behaviors have been observed in number of other fish groups. neon gobies of genera gobiosoma , elacatinus provide cleaning service similar cleaner wrasses, though time on reefs in western atlantic, providing example of convergent evolution. unlike cleaner wrasses, eat variety of small animals being cleaner fish, , in aquaria. however, caribbean cleaning goby (elacatinus evelynae) gladly eat scales , mucus host when ectoparasites feeds on scarce, making relationship less mutually beneficial. symbiosis not break down because abundance of these parasites varies seasonally , spatially, , overall benefit larger fish outweighs cheating on part of smaller.