Mucus-secreting lips offer protection to suction-feeding corallivorous

Huertas, Victor;Bellwood, David R.

Abstract

Of the 6,000 reef fish species, only 128 feed on corals [1,2]. Despite being widely available on tropical reefs, corals appear to represent a particularly challenging trophic resource, with mucus- and nematocyst-laden tissues spread over a sharp coral skeleton. Here we report that coral-feeding tubelip wrasses use highly modified lips to suck material from the coral surface. These lips have a specialized mushroom-like lamellar epithelium that secretes mucus. This mucus may facilitate suction and reduce damage by nematocysts in a manner akin to anemonefishes. The remarkable lip specializations observed in tubelip wrasses highlight the potential role of soft tissues in shaping the trophic ability of fishes.

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Current Biology

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1879-0445

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Elsevier

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DOI

10.1016/j.cub.2017.04.056