Relative gut lengths of coral reef butterflyfishes (Pisces: Chaetodontidae)

Abstract

Variation in gut length of closely related animals is known to generally be a good predictor of dietary habits. We examined gut length in 28 species of butterflyfishes (Chaetodontidae), which encompass a wide range of dietary types (planktivores, omnivores, corallivores). We found general dietary patterns to be a good predictor of relative gut length, although we found high variation among groups and covariance with body size. The longest gut lengths are found in species that exclusively feed on the living tissue of corals, while the shortest gut length is found in a planktivorous species. Although we tried to control for phylogeny, corallivory has arisen multiple times in this family, confounding our analyses. The butterflyfishes, a speciose family with a wide range of dietary habits, may nonetheless provide an ideal system for future work studying gut physiology associated with specialisation and foraging behaviours.

Genetic Effects on the Gut Microbiota Assemblages of Hybrid Fish From Parents With Different Feeding Habits

“…The common assumption is that herbivorous fish possess relatively long narrow intestines that are coiled and fairly uniform in structure throughout, while the intestines of carnivorous species are much shorter, thicker, and straighter, with a greater degree of mucosal folding, than those of herbivorous fish (Kramer and Bryant, 1995; Elliott and Bellwood, 2003; German and Horn, 2006). In particular, several previous studies have utilized intestinal traits (structure, relative mass and length) as predictors of the diets of fish (Wagner et al, 2009; Berumen et al, 2011; Davis et al, 2013). In fact, both food resources and feeding habits play important roles in defining the form and function of the vertebrate gastrointestinal tract (Horn et al, 2006; Karasov and Martinez del Rio, 2007; Davis et al, 2011; Karasov et al, 2011); however, the influence of ontogeny and phylogeny may be larger than that of diet on gut dimensions (German and Horn, 2006; German et al, 2009; Davis et al, 2013).…”

Ontogenetic development of intestinal length and relationships to diet in an Australasian fish family (Terapontidae)

“…This difference underlines the importance of comparative methods in not overstating the strength of the association between morphology and ecology [27]. Although intestinal length emerged from the phylogenetically informed analysis as a useful predictor of diet, a substantial amount of unexplained variability was also evident in the relationship.…”

Intermediate host switches drive diversification among the largest trematode family: evidence from the Polypipapiliotrematinae n. subf. (Opecoelidae), parasites transmitted to butterflyfishes via predation of coral polyps

“…Allopodocotyle epinepheli (Yamaguti, 1942 Bouchon-Navaro (1983), Bouchon-Navaro (1986), Sano (1989), Cox (1994), Pratchett (2005Pratchett ( , 2011, Cole et al (2008) and Reavis and Copus (2011). Phylogenetic clades for species of Chaetodon are as per Littlewood et al (2004), Fessler and Westneat (2007) and Bellwood et al (2010).…”