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North-eastern range extension of the anemone Stichodactyla haddoni to the Marshall Islands represents a new record of host use by the endemic anemonefish Amphiprion tricinctus

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 September 2014

J.-P.A. Hobbs ,
M. Beger ,
M. De Brauwer  and
M.J. Emslie
J.-P.A. Hobbs*
Affiliation:
Department of Environment and Agriculture, Curtin University, Perth, WA 6845, Australia
M. Beger
Affiliation:
Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072Australia
M. De Brauwer
Affiliation:
The Oceans Institute and School of Plant Biology, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
M.J. Emslie
Affiliation:
Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB 3, Townsville MC, Townsville, QLD 4810, Australia
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: J.-P.A. Hobbs, Department of Environment and Agriculture, Curtin University, Perth, WA 6845, Australia email: jp.hobbs@curtin.edu.au
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Abstract

Amphiprion tricinctus is an anemonefish endemic to the Marshall Islands that was previously reported to inhabit four species of sea anemone. Underwater visual surveys in 2009 and 2010 located five individuals of the anemone Stichodactyla haddoni in the shallow lagoon of Majuro Atoll. This is the first record of S. haddoni in the Marshall Islands and a significant north-eastern range extension by 2200 km from its nearest record in Chuuk State, Federated States of Micronesia. Stichodactyla haddoni was inhabited by juvenile and adult A. tricinctus. This report is the first to describe a symbiotic relationship between A tricinctus and S. haddoni. The number of host anemone species inhabited by A. tricinctus now extends to five.

Keywords

Amphiprion tricinctusMajuro AtollMarshall IslandsPomacentridaeStichodactyla haddoniStichodactylidae
Type
Research Article
Information
Marine Biodiversity Records , Volume 7 , 2014 , e106
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2014 

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