Cleaner fishes and shrimp diversity and a re‐evaluation of cleaning symbioses

Abstract

Cleaning symbiosis has been documented extensively in the marine environment over the past 50 years. We estimate global cleaner diversity comprises 208 fish species from 106 genera representing 36 families and 51 shrimp species from 11 genera representing six families. Cleaning symbiosis as originally defined is amended to highlight communication between client and cleaner as the catalyst for cooperation and to separate cleaning symbiosis from incidental cleaning, which is a separate mutualism preceded by no communication. Moreover, we propose the term ‘dedicated’ to replace ‘obligate’ to describe a committed cleaning lifestyle. Marine cleaner fishes have dominated the cleaning symbiosis literature, with comparatively little focus given to shrimp. The engagement of shrimp in cleaning activities has been considered contentious because there is little empirical evidence. Plasticity exists in the use of ‘cleaner shrimp’ in the current literature, with the potential to cause significant confusion. Indeed, this term has been used incorrectly for the shrimp Infraorder Stenopodidea, involving three families, Stenopodidae, Palaemonidae and Hippolytidae, and to represent all members of Lysmata and Stenopus. Caution is expressed in the use of grey literature and anecdotal observations to generate data on cleaning interactions, due to the presence of species complexes. Interest in cleaning organisms as biological controls in aquaculture is increasing due to their value as an alternative to various chemical ectoparasite controls. Reports of the importance of cleaner organisms in maintaining a healthy reef ecosystem has also been increasing and we review the current biological knowledge on cleaner organisms, highlighting areas that are understudied.

Co‐evolution of cleaning and feeding morphology in western Atlantic and eastern Pacific gobies

“…Given the subtle behavioral and ecological differences between cleaner fishes, it seems unreasonable to expect cleaners to converge on a single feeding morphotype (Côté ; Vaughan et al. ). While cleaner gobies lie on their clients, cleaner wrasses and other lineages of cleaner fishes remain suspended next to their hosts in the water column (Côté ).…”

The Integration of Sociality, Monoamines, and Stress Neuroendocrinology in Fish Models: Applications in the Neurosciences

“…Marine cleaning interactions between varied species have long been considered as textbook examples of mutualistic cooperation (Trivers, 1971;Cushman & Beattie, 1991;Vaughan et al, 2016). By definition, cleaners are usually small fishes and shrimp that inspect the body surface, the gill chambers and mouth of other visiting larger fishes, known as clients, in search of ectoparasites, mucus and dead or diseased tissue (Côte, 2000).…”

“…those species that by being fully specialized, clean during their entire life span. However, these species occur only in two of the most speciose groups of teleost fish (Labridae and Gobiidae; Vaughan et al, 2016) while the remaining majority of identified cleaner species are categorized as facultative, i.e. clean solely during a particular life stage (mostly during their juvenile phase).…”

The Integration of Sociality, Monoamines, and Stress Neuroendocrinology in Fish Models: Applications in the Neurosciences

“…Marine cleaning interactions between varied species have long been considered as textbook examples of mutualistic cooperation (Trivers, 1971;Cushman & Beattie, 1991;Vaughan et al, 2016). By definition, cleaners are usually small fish and shrimps that inspect the body surface, the gill chambers and mouth of other visiting larger fishes, known as clients, in search of ectoparasites, mucus and dead or diseased tissue (Côte, 2000).…”

“…However, these species occur solely in 2 of the most speciose groups of teleost fish (Labridae and Gobiidae; Vaughan et al, 2016) while the remaining majority of the cleaner identified species are categorized as facultative, i.e. clean solely during a particular life stage (mostly during their juvenile phase).…”