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Interesting Facts about Bluestreak Cleaner Wrasse
[Phylum: Chordata] [Class: Actinopterygii (bony-fish)] [Order: Labriformes] [Genus: Labroides]
Most of the cleaner wrasse species are small tropical marine fish. But the unique cleaning behaviour of one of them is particularly important from an ecological standpoint.
This page contains some fascinating facts about bluestreak cleaner wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus), including where they live, what kind of parasites they eat, and how they reproduce.
Cleaner Wrasses Habitats and Distribution
Labroides dimidiatus is the scientific name for an energetic wrasse fish that inhabits most of the Indo-Pacific and other key regions, such as:
- Eastern coastlines of Africa (including Seychelle Islands, Red Sea)
- Southern Islands of Japan (south of Chiba Prefecture)
- Southern and Central Pacific Islands (Micronesia, Melanesia, and the Tuamotus Archipelago in French Polynesia)
- Southeast Asia (e.g. Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand)
- Northeast Australia (Great Barrier Reef) and parts of New Caledonia
The bluestreak cleaner wrasse thrives best around shallow, coral-rich reef slopes and lagoons, especially at depths ranging from only a few metres and down to thirty (30) metres (100 feet).
Being one of the most productive cleaner fish species means they need the area to have lots of coral cover and an endless supply of "clients".
Put another way:
A typical client that visits an "underwater cleaning station" is a marine creature that is willing to participate in the services provided in a process known as "cleaning symbiosis".
For example, bluestreak cleaner wrasses enjoy eating ectoparasites and dying tissue on creatures that could easily kill them, such as baleen whales, large cartilaginous fishes (e.g. sharks), octopuses, and leatherback sea turtles (dermochelyidae).
Pro Tip: It's common for some scuba divers to misidentify the bluestreak with a few other closely related cleaner wrasse species, especially the breastspot cleaner fish (Labroides pectoralis) and the bicolor cleanerfish (Labroides bicolor).
Bluestreak Cleaner Wrasse Key Features
Along with the slingjaw wrasse and the cuckoo wrasse, the cleaning behaviour of this common cleanerfish means it's one of the most well-known and studied of all wrasses.
The largest wrasse species still in existence today is the Napoleon wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus). By comparison, the average size of adult bluestreak wrasses is around twelve (12) centimetres long (5 inches).
Here's the thing:
The best way to describe the body shape is slender and streamlined. The upper body is usually light blue with a pale underbelly, and a black lateral stripe that stretches from the nose (snout) all the way to the tail.
A small and elongated mouth, sticking out from the tiny flat head, is one of the main reasons why the bluestreak cleaner wrasse is so efficient at picking off dead skin and parasites.
Wrasse Cleaning Stations
One of the best places for wrasse types to set up a cleaning station is a specific coral head or some other similar prominent feature near the reef.
The primary objective is to make it easy for clients to recognise it as a friendly and trustworthy site to get cleaned, particularly for angelfishes, groupers, and parrotfishes.
Fun Fact: We have a list of fish with funny names in another section. But, naming a cleaning wrasse with a bright blue stripe - the "bluestreak cleaner" - seems to be an appropriate moniker.
What Do Cleaner Wrasses Eat?
Most of the wrasse fish types use their extended teeth to graze on the bottom of the seabed. Hence, the main diet for these carnivores will include a large variety of hard-shelled invertebrates and marine mollusks.
However, bluestreak cleaner wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus) are small fish that engage in "cleaning mutualism".
They remove ectoparasites (e.g. living on the surface), dead skin, blood, and even mucus from inside the mouths and gills of their "customers" (also known as hosts).
And the outcome?
This symbiotic relationship means the wrasse gets free food, and the client fish gets to benefit from a reduction in parasitic load and improved health.
Despite being considered as an advanced social behavior carried out by trusting participants, cleaning wrasse are extremely territorial and will not hesitate to defend their designated cleaning station.
Interesting Fact: The sabre-toothed blenny (Aspidontus taeniatus) is a fish that "mimics" the appearance of the bluestreak cleaner wrasse. But, instead of cleaning the host, they trick them into a vulnerable position where they can actually nibble or bite off chunks of healthy flesh instead of harmful parasites.
How Do Cleaner Wrasse Reproduce?
Wrasses are sexually dimorphic fishes. Put another way, some will be both male and female at some time in their life.
This phenomenon only works because the majority of the wrasse species are protogynous hermaphrodites (able to transform from females into males).
Mating takes place through a process called 'broadcast reproduction' - a common occurrence in bony fish. Simply put, a female will release eggs into the water column and the male will release the sperm for external fertilisation.
In case you were wondering...
When females produce eggs, the average clutch size will be around one thousand. After releasing the eggs, many of the species will adopt a role of 'parental care'. Even though the parents take on this duty, the incubation period is only twenty four (24) hours.
In a nutshell, the males will guard the eggs until they hatch - usually scattered in various cavities in the reef. The larvae become part of the plankton bloom for the first thirty days. Then, they should be large enough to join the adult community.
Threats and Predators
The average lifespan for bluestreak wrasses can be up to twenty (20) years in the wild - albeit closer to 5 years when kept as pets in an aquarium.
The current conservation status of most wrasse species remains as 'not endangered'. Nonetheless, besides some small loss due to the aquarium trade, other contributing factors for significant declines in some species include:
- Climate change (e.g. ocean acidification)
- Overfishing
- Habitat loss and degradation (e.g. coral reef destruction)
Interesting Fact: The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is a comprehensive source of information about the global conservation status of animals, fungi, and plants. As of 2008, the population status of bluestreak cleaner wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus) is of "Least Concern" (LC).