ABSTRACT
Many small species of coral reef fishes are surprisingly long-lived, e.g. 18-32 years for several damselfi shes (Worthington et al., 1995; Meekan et al., 2001) and 25-30 years for some small surgeonfi shes (Choat and Axe, 1996; Hart and Russ, 1996; Choat and Robertson, 2002). Th ese long-lived species tend to attain an asymptotic size very quickly (within 2-6 years) and thus spend much of their lifespan (oft en > 75%) at that size. In contrast, the life history patterns of coral reef gobies are typifi ed by short lives and continued investment in growth for all or much of the lifespan. High mortality rates and short adult lifespans are important selection pressures infl uencing the timing of maturation and reproductive output in coral reef gobies.
