Publication Date
Fall 2025
Abstract
Understanding the foraging behaviour of small reef predators is important for determining how they influence reef fish and cryptobenthic community structure. This study examined the predatory behaviour of Pseudochromis fuscus, a mesopredatory reef fish known to consume high numbers of juvenile damselfish recruits. In contrast to previous studies, no successful captures of juvenile recruits were observed, despite numerous attempted strikes. Instead, benthic invertebrates appeared to be the primary food source across all three time periods examined (full moon, mass coral spawning, and new moon). Behavioural differences were observed among periods, with significantly higher pursuit attempts during the new moon, likely associated with the presence of freshly settled, naïve recruits. Ambush attempts were marginally higher during the full moon, possibly because older, more experienced recruits are harder to capture by pursuit and ambush is generally a more effective strategy. The lowest number of attacks on juvenile recruits occurred during the coral spawning period, potentially due to the availability of coral propagules as an alternative, high-energy food source. However, further research, including direct diet analysis, is required to confirm this. Overall, these findings suggest that P. fuscus on Lizard Island may play a stronger role in structuring cryptobenthic invertebrate communities than in directly regulating damselfish recruitment. Foraging behaviour appeared to vary across time and environmental context, highlighting the importance of continued study of small reef predators and their ecological roles on coral reefs.
Disciplines
Life Sciences
Recommended Citation
Mittal, Navya, "What’s on the menu? An observational study of the predatory ecology of Pseudochromis fuscus" (2025). Australia: Rainforest, Reef, and Cultural Ecology. 7.
https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/ase2/7