Ecology Summary - Stegastes planifrons

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Main Ref.	Randall, J.E., 1967
Remarks	Inhabits inshore and offshore coral reefs. Found within caves at night (Ref. 9626). Often found in tangles of staghorn coral; anywhere there is abundant algae on reefs (Ref. 26938). Feeds mainly on algae but also on harpacticoid copepods, small gastropods, eggs of mollusks, sponges, polychaetes and hydroids (Ref. 9626); also feeds on detritus, plants and other benthic organisms (Ref. 33). Juveniles subsist on the external parasites of fishes (Ref. 5521). Pugnaciously guards large territories, will chase and nip intruders of all sizes, including divers (Ref. 9710). Territorial herbivore (Ref. 57616).

Main Ref.

Randall, J.E., 1967

Remarks

Inhabits inshore and offshore coral reefs. Found within caves at night (Ref. 9626). Often found in tangles of staghorn coral; anywhere there is abundant algae on reefs (Ref. 26938). Feeds mainly on algae but also on harpacticoid copepods, small gastropods, eggs of mollusks, sponges, polychaetes and hydroids (Ref. 9626); also feeds on detritus, plants and other benthic organisms (Ref. 33). Juveniles subsist on the external parasites of fishes (Ref. 5521). Pugnaciously guards large territories, will chase and nip intruders of all sizes, including divers (Ref. 9710). Territorial herbivore (Ref. 57616).

Aquatic zones / Water bodies

	Marine - Neritic	Marine - Oceanic	Brackishwater	Freshwater
Marine zones / Brackish and freshwater bodies	supra-littoral zone littoral zone sublittoral zone	epipelagic mesopelagic epipelagic abyssopelagic hadopelagic	estuaries/lagoons/brackish seas mangroves marshes/swamps	rivers/streams lakes/ponds caves exclusively in caves

Highighted items on the list are where Stegastes planifrons may be found.

Habitat

Substrate
Substrate Ref.
Special habitats	Coral Reefs;
Special habitats Ref.

Associations

Ref.
Associations
Associated with	Cleaned by goby (Gobiosoma evelynae and others) as observed on the coral reefs in Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles (Ref. 36810).
Association remarks
Parasitism

Feeding

Feeding type	plants/detritus+animals (troph. 2.2-2.79)
Feeding type Ref.	Randall, J.E., 1967
Feeding habit	grazing on aquatic plants
Feeding habit Ref.

Trophic Level(s)

Estimation method	Original sample		Unfished population		Remark
Estimation method	Troph	s.e.	Troph	s.e.	Remark
From diet composition	3.27	0.26	2.72	0.24	Troph of juv./adults from 1 study.
From individual food items	2.82	0.33			Trophic level estimated from a number of food items using a randomized resampling routine.
Ref.	Randall, J.E., 1967

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