Ecology Summary - Dermatolepis dermatolepis

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Main Ref.	Grove, J.S. and R.J. Lavenberg, 1997
Remarks	A diurnal predator that feeds on small benthic fishes and occasionally on crustaceans. Often it uses browsing herbivorous fishes as a moving blind in order to feed on the cryptic fauna disturbed by these browsers; it will also follow foraging moray eels to catch the fishes frightened from their hiding places. Small juveniles have been seen hiding among the long spines of the dark-colored sea urchin, Centrostephanus coronatus. Preys upon the small cryptic benthic fishes that are disturbed when foraging grazers come to feed in an area (Ref. 28023).

Main Ref.

Grove, J.S. and R.J. Lavenberg, 1997

Remarks

A diurnal predator that feeds on small benthic fishes and occasionally on crustaceans. Often it uses browsing herbivorous fishes as a moving blind in order to feed on the cryptic fauna disturbed by these browsers; it will also follow foraging moray eels to catch the fishes frightened from their hiding places. Small juveniles have been seen hiding among the long spines of the dark-colored sea urchin, Centrostephanus coronatus. Preys upon the small cryptic benthic fishes that are disturbed when foraging grazers come to feed in an area (Ref. 28023).

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 Dermatolepis dermatolepis may be found.

Habitat

Substrate
Substrate Ref.
Special habitats	Coral Reefs;
Special habitats Ref.	Dominici-Arosemena, A. and M. Wolff, 2006

Associations

Ref.
Associations
Associated with
Association remarks
Parasitism

Feeding

Feeding type	mainly animals (troph. 2.8 and up)
Feeding type Ref.	Grove, J.S. and R.J. Lavenberg, 1997
Feeding habit	hunting macrofauna (predator)
Feeding habit Ref.	Dominici-Arosemena, A. and M. Wolff, 2006

Trophic Level(s)

Estimation method	Original sample		Unfished population		Remark
Estimation method	Troph	s.e.	Troph	s.e.	Remark
From diet composition
From individual food items	4.50	0.80			Tentative trophic level derived from 1 + troph of a single food item
Ref.

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