ABSTRACT
There is evidence to suggest that some cleaner fish species may be an effective means to control monogeneans. The cleaning goby, Gobiosoma genie (now Elacatinus genie) and the neon goby, G. oceanops (now E. oceanops: Gobiidae) significantly reduced infections of Neobenedenia melleni (Monopisthocotylea: Capsalidae) on cultured Florida red tilapia but the bluehead cleaner wrasse, Thalassoma bifasciatum (Labridae) did not (Cowell et al, 1993). Labroides dimidiatus (Labridae) had an effect on the size frequency and abundance of the capsalid Benedenia lolo (Monopisthocotylea: Capsalidae) infecting 'skin' of the thiclolipped wrasse, Hemigymnus melapterus (Labridae; see Grutter et al., 2002). Incidental cleaning interactions by fish involving microbothriids and gyrodactylids have also been recorded (Grutter, 2002). It is interesting to note that pigmented (i.e., camouflaged) B. lolo on the pigmented part of its labrid host suffered less prédation than unpigmented specimens. There is evidence to suggest that darkly pigmented Dendromonocotyle species that parasitize the dark dorsal surface of their ray hosts may also avoid prédation by cleaner fish (Chisholm et al, 2004).
