Photographer: Paul Osmond
(see this users gallery)
A large Diagonal-Banded Sweetlips (Plectorhinchus lineatus) is cleaned by a pair of juvenile Bluesteak Cleaner Wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus) at a cleaning station near a coral reef wall drop off at Raine Island in far north Queensland, Austrlaia.
Cleaning stations are important for large fish as they can get cleaned by smaller fish of parasites and other annoyances, while the smaller fish get a meal. During the cleaning the smaller fish will swim both inside and outside the fish, cleaning the inside of the fishes gills and mouth as well as the fishes skin.
Cleaner Wrasse even advertise their cleaning services by making short, jerky movements above their station to attract large fish.
Raine Island is famous for the presence of a huge nesting population of Green Turtles, but also is home to a variety of other marine species.
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· Date: Sat February 11, 2006 · Reference ID: /22005-11-30-14-57-21 · Views: 15113 ·
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Keywords: Labroides dimidiatus Plectorhinchus lineatus blue streak gbr great barrier diagonal banded stripe stripes big lips haemulidae large fish aussie behavi
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Additional Categories: Bluestreak Cleaner Wrasse
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Orange Basslet - Pseudanthias squamipinnis
Paul Osmond
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