Bshary R, Würth M
MPIV Seewiesen, 82319 Starnberg, Germany.
Proc Biol Sci. 2001 Jul 22;268(1475):1495-501. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2001.1495.
The cleaner wrasse Labroides dimidiatus often touches 'client' reef fish dorsal fin areas with its pelvic and pectoral fins. The relative spatial positions of cleaner and client remain constant and the cleaner's head points away from the client's body. Therefore, this behaviour is not compatible with foraging and the removal of client ectoparasites. As clients seek such 'tactile stimulation', it can be classified as an interspecific socio-positive behaviour. Our field observations on 12 cleaners (observation time of 112h) suggest that cleaners use tactile stimulation in order to successfully (i) alter client decisions over how long to stay for an inspection, and (ii) stop clients from fleeing or aggressive chasing of the cleaner in response to a cleaner fish bite that made them jolt. Finally, predatory clients receive tactile stimulation more often than non-predatory clients, which might be interpreted as an extra service that cleaners give to specific partners as pre-conflict management, as these partners would be particularly dangerous if they started a conflict. We therefore propose that cleaner fish use interspecific social strategies, which have so far been reported only from mammals, particularly primates.
裂唇鱼（Labroides dimidiatus）经常用其腹鳍和胸鳍触碰“客户”珊瑚礁鱼类的背鳍区域。清洁鱼和客户的相对空间位置保持不变，且清洁鱼的头部指向远离客户身体的方向。因此，这种行为与觅食以及清除客户体表寄生虫不相符。由于客户寻求这种“触觉刺激”，它可被归类为种间社会积极行为。我们对12条清洁鱼进行的野外观察（观察时间为112小时）表明，清洁鱼利用触觉刺激以便成功地（i）改变客户关于停留检查时长的决定，以及（ii）阻止客户因清洁鱼咬了一口使其震动而做出的逃离或攻击追逐清洁鱼的行为。最后，掠食性客户比非掠食性客户更频繁地接受触觉刺激，这可能被解释为清洁鱼作为冲突前管理给予特定伙伴的一项额外服务，因为这些伙伴如果引发冲突会特别危险。因此，我们提出清洁鱼使用种间社会策略，而这种策略迄今为止仅在哺乳动物，特别是灵长类动物中有所报道。
