Fallen leaves on the water-bed: diurnal camouflage of three night active fish species in an Amazonian streamlet

Sazima, Iván; Carvalho, Lucélia Nobre; Mendonça, Fernando Pereira de; Zuanon, Jansen

doi:10.1590/s1679-62252006000100013

Cited by 35 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Marine visual backgrounds consist of many small-to-moderate objects of moderate contrast; thus, mottle camouflage is common in benthic cephalopods such as cuttlefish, octopus and some squids (Hanlon et al, 1999a;Hanlon et al, 1999b;Hanlon and Messenger, 1996) as well as many animals, both aquatic and terrestrial (Brunberg et al, 2006;Graf and Nentwig, 2001;Purcell and Tekanene, 2006;Sazima et al, 2006). Mottle body patterns that achieve some degree of background matching are expected to be among the most prevalent form of body patterning coloration throughout the animal kingdom but a great deal of research is required before such assertions can be backed up with quantitative assessments.…”

Section: Background Matching and Mottle Camouflage Patternsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mottle camouflage patterns in cuttlefish: quantitative characterization and visual background stimuli that evoke them

Chiao

Chubb

Buresch

et al. 2010

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARYCuttlefish and other cephalopods achieve dynamic background matching with two general classes of body patterns: uniform (or uniformly stippled) patterns and mottle patterns. Both pattern types have been described chiefly by the size scale and contrast of their skin components. Mottle body patterns in cephalopods have been characterized previously as small-to-moderate-scale light and dark skin patches (i.e. mottles) distributed somewhat evenly across the body surface. Here we move beyond this commonly accepted qualitative description by quantitatively measuring the scale and contrast of mottled skin components and relating these statistics to specific visual background stimuli (psychophysics approach) that evoke this type of background-matching pattern. Cuttlefish were tested on artificial and natural substrates to experimentally determine some primary visual background cues that evoke mottle patterns. Randomly distributed small-scale light and dark objects (or with some repetition of small-scale shapes/sizes) on a lighter substrate with moderate contrast are essential visual cues to elicit mottle camouflage patterns in cuttlefish. Lowering the mean luminance of the substrate without changing its spatial properties can modulate the mottle pattern toward disruptive patterns, which are of larger scale, different shape and higher contrast. Backgrounds throughout nature consist of a continuous range of spatial scales; backgrounds with medium-sized light/dark patches of moderate contrast are those in which cuttlefish Mottle patterns appear to be the most frequently observed. Supplementary material available online at

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Section: Background Matching and Mottle Camouflage Patternsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mottle camouflage patterns in cuttlefish: quantitative characterization and visual background stimuli that evoke them

Chiao

Chubb

Buresch

et al. 2010

Journal of Experimental Biology

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“…In other animals, somewhat fixed body shapes or appendages require that changes in posture are mostly changes in the overall orientation of the body. For example, shrimp [13], moths [14], frogs [15], fishes [16,17] and birds [18][19][20][21] may adopt particular postures by behavioural alignment with substrate features to achieve the desired camouflage effect. There are few studies providing direct evidence that body orientations influence crypsis.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cuttlefish use visual cues to determine arm postures for camouflage

et al. 2011

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To achieve effective visual camouflage, prey organisms must combine cryptic coloration with the appropriate posture and behaviour to render them difficult to be detected or recognized. Body patterning has been studied in various taxa, yet body postures and their implementation on different backgrounds have seldom been studied experimentally. Here, we provide the first experimental evidence that cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis), masters of rapid adaptive camouflage, use visual cues from adjacent visual stimuli to control arm postures. Cuttlefish were presented with a square wave stimulus (period ¼ 0.47 cm; black and white stripes) that was angled 08, 458 or 908 relative to the animals' horizontal body axis. Cuttlefish positioned their arms parallel, obliquely or transversely to their body axis according to the orientation of the stripes. These experimental results corroborate our field observations of cuttlefish camouflage behaviour in which flexible, precise arm posture is often tailored to match nearby objects. By relating the cuttlefishes' visual perception of backgrounds to their versatile postural behaviour, our results highlight yet another of the many flexible and adaptive anti-predator tactics adopted by cephalopods.

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“…We standardized our sample data by estimating the proportion of each floating litter bank and extrapolating it to the whole; this allowed us to standardize the sampling effort and make direct quantitative comparisons among the samples. The quantitative data about the fish fauna of the floating litter banks were combined with natural history information gathered during fish faunal inventories and ecological studies that we conducted in several river systems of the Brazilian Amazon (e.g., Sazima et al, 2006;Zuanon et al, 2006;Zuanon & Ferreira, 2008;Carvalho et al, 2009). Based on these surveys, we generated a comprehensive list of fish known to be associated with floating litter banks.…”

Section: Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Second floor, please: the fish fauna of floating litter banks in Amazonian streams and rivers

et al. 2013

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Floating litter banks are an ephemeral habitat consisting of branches, twigs, flowers, seeds, and fruits that are trapped on the stream water surface by a variety of retention mechanisms. These heterogeneous materials form a deep layer of dead plant matter that is colonized by a variety of organisms, including fish that forage on the aquatic macroinvertebrates found in this unique habitat. In this study, we aimed to characterize which fish species occupy the floating litter banks and their trophic characteristics, as well as determine if fish assemblage composition and species richness can be predicted by the size of the floating litter banks. Fish sampling was conducted in five rivers located in the Amazon basin. Of the 31 floating litter banks sampled that contained fish, 455 individuals were recorded and were distributed within 40 species, 15 families and five orders. Siluriformes were the most representative order among the samples and contained the largest number of families and species. The fish fauna sampled was mainly composed of carnivorous species that are typically found in submerged litter banks of Amazonian streams. The fish assemblage composition in the kinon can be predicted by the volume of the floating litter banks using both presence/absence and abundance data, but not its species richness. In conclusion, kinon banks harbor a rich fish assemblage that utilizes this habitat for shelter and feeding, and may function as a refuge for the fishes during the peak of the flooding season.Bancos de folhiço flutuantes são habitats efêmeros constituídos de troncos e galhos de árvores, flores, sementes e frutos retidos por uma variedade de mecanismos. Estes materiais formam uma camada espessa de matéria vegetal morta, que é colonizada por diferentes organismos, incluindo peixes que se alimentam de macroinvertebrados aquáticos presentes neste habitat. Nosso objetivo foi caracterizar as espécies e características tróficas dos peixes que ocupam esses bancos de folhiço flutuantes, bem como determinar se a composição da assembleia de peixes e a riqueza de espécies podem ser previstas pelo tamanho dos bancos. A amostragem dos peixes foi realizada em cinco rios da bacia amazônica. Dos 31 bancos de folhiço flutuantes amostrados que continham peixes, foram registrados 455 indivíduos distribuídos em 40 espécies, 15 famílias e cinco ordens. Siluriformes foi a ordem mais representativa, com o maior número de espécies e famílias. A fauna de peixes coletados foi composta principalmente por espécies carnívoras, que geralmente são encontrados em bancos de folhiço submersos de igarapés amazônicos. A composição das assembleias de peixes do 'kinon' pode ser prevista pelo volume desses bancos de liteira flutuante, tanto utilizando dados de presença/ausência quanto de abundância, mas não de riqueza de espécies. Em conclusão, os bancos de folhiço flutuante abrigam uma rica assembleia de peixes, que utilizam esse habitat como local de abrigo e de alimentação, e podem funcionar como refúgio para a ictiofauna dos bancos de folhiço ...

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Fallen leaves on the water-bed: diurnal camouflage of three night active fish species in an Amazonian streamlet

Cited by 35 publications

References 3 publications

Mottle camouflage patterns in cuttlefish: quantitative characterization and visual background stimuli that evoke them

Mottle camouflage patterns in cuttlefish: quantitative characterization and visual background stimuli that evoke them

Cuttlefish use visual cues to determine arm postures for camouflage

Second floor, please: the fish fauna of floating litter banks in Amazonian streams and rivers

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