Ecology Summary - Dascyllus aruanus

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Main Ref.	Randall, H.A. and G.R. Allen, 1977
Remarks	Occurs inshore (Ref. 75154). Territorial, inhabits shallow lagoon and subtidal reef flats. Forms large aggregations above staghorn Acropora thickets or in smaller groups above isolated coral heads. Feeds on plants and invertebrates (Ref. 6110). Harem-type social structure observed with 1 male & several females with linear size dependent rank order; male spawned with the females in order of rank & may attempt to male with females from nearby territories. Male & largest female protect the home territory. It is associated with coral heads (usually Acropora or Pocillopora) that have a tree-like form, allowing the fish to retreat deep within the branches. Humbug lives only where the coral heads are interspersed with sandy patches, usually in protected lagoons or sheltered bays, only occasionally on outer slopes (Ref. 54301). Diurnal species (Ref. 54980, 120737).

Main Ref.

Randall, H.A. and G.R. Allen, 1977

Remarks

Occurs inshore (Ref. 75154). Territorial, inhabits shallow lagoon and subtidal reef flats. Forms large aggregations above staghorn Acropora thickets or in smaller groups above isolated coral heads. Feeds on plants and invertebrates (Ref. 6110). Harem-type social structure observed with 1 male & several females with linear size dependent rank order; male spawned with the females in order of rank & may attempt to male with females from nearby territories. Male & largest female protect the home territory. It is associated with coral heads (usually Acropora or Pocillopora) that have a tree-like form, allowing the fish to retreat deep within the branches. Humbug lives only where the coral heads are interspersed with sandy patches, usually in protected lagoons or sheltered bays, only occasionally on outer slopes (Ref. 54301). Diurnal species (Ref. 54980, 120737).

Aquatic zones / Water bodies

	Marine - Neritic	Marine - Oceanic	Brackishwater	Freshwater
Marine zones / Brackish and freshwater bodies	supra-littoral zone littoral zone sublittoral zone	epipelagic mesopelagic epipelagic abyssopelagic hadopelagic	estuaries/lagoons/brackish seas mangroves marshes/swamps	rivers/streams lakes/ponds caves exclusively in caves

Highighted items on the list are where Dascyllus aruanus may be found.

Habitat

Substrate
Substrate Ref.
Special habitats	Beds: sea grass; Coral Reefs;
Special habitats Ref.	Nguyen, N.T. and V.Q. Nguyen, 2006

Associations

Ref.
Associations
Associated with
Association remarks
Parasitism

Feeding

Feeding type	plants/detritus+animals (troph. 2.2-2.79)
Feeding type Ref.	Sano, M., M. Shimizu and Y. Nose, 1984
Feeding habit	grazing on aquatic plants
Feeding habit Ref.	Sano, M., M. Shimizu and Y. Nose, 1984

Trophic Level(s)

Estimation method	Original sample		Unfished population		Remark
Estimation method	Troph	s.e.	Troph	s.e.	Remark
From diet composition			2.52	0.19
From individual food items	3.35	0.42			Trophic level estimated from a number of food items using a randomized resampling routine.
Ref.	Sano, M., M. Shimizu and Y. Nose, 1984

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