Depth Zonation, Micro habitat, and Morphology of Three Species of Acanthemblemaria (Pisces: Blennioidea) in the Guif of California, Mexico |
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| Authors: | David G Lindquist |
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| Institution: | Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina-Wilmington, Wilmington, North Carolina 28403, U.S.A. |
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| Abstract: | Abstract. The utilization of the spatial resources of refuge type, size and depth placement is investigated in the three sympatric species of Acanthemblemaria at the cape region of Baja California, Mexico. A. balanorum occupies barnacle testes (Balanus tintinnabulum), A. macrospilus occupies barnacles and mollusk tubes (vermetid gastropods and pholadids), and A. crockeri occupies only mollusk tubes (pholadids). Refuge diameter overlap is higher than overlap in depth. A. crockeri consistently occupies depths below 5m. Competition experiments for barnacle refuges among the three species indicate that A. balanorum is a superior competitor for such refuges. Prior residency of a less superior species changes the outcome of refuge competition in its favor. The morphological specialization of A. balanorum and A. macrospilus is evident in a high correlation between head size and standard length. A. balanorum selects refuges with entrance diameters highly correlated to standard length. |
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| Keywords: | Competition refuge types underwater experimentation inclusion cages head size inquiline blennies |
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