Whale sharks Rhincodon typus get cleaned by the blue-streak cleaner wrasse Labroides dimidiatus and the moon wrasse Thalassoma lunare in the Philippines

Species associated with whale sharks Rhincodontypus (Orectolobiformes, Rhincodontidae) in the Galapagos Archipelago

Whale sharks Rhincodontypus frequently appear to interact or associate with other species, which vary depending on the community structure and the demographic of the whale sharks at each location globally. Here, we present the species sighted frequently around whale sharks in the Galapagos Archipelago and reported by dive guides and scientists and also in earlier publications. These associated species include cetacean species: bottlenose dolphins Tursiopstruncatus, other shark species: silky sharks Carcharhinusfalciformis, Galapagos sharks Carcharhinusgalapagensis, scalloped hammerhead sharks Sphyrnalewini, tiger sharks Galeocerdocuvier and teleost fish species: remoras Remora remora, yellowfin tuna Thunnusalbacares, almaco jacks Seriolarivoliana and black jacks Caranxlugubris. The recording of interspecies associations and interactions may lead to better understanding of the natural history of whale sharks and can show important symbiotic relationships or interdependence between different species.

Mutualism promotes site selection in a large marine planktivore

Mutualism is a form of symbiosis whereby both parties benefit from the relationship. An example is cleaning symbiosis, which has been observed in terrestrial and marine environments. The most recognized form of marine cleaning symbiosis is that of cleaner fishes and their clients.Cleaner species set up cleaning stations on the reef, and other species seek out their services. However, it is not well understood how the presence of cleaning stations influence movements of large highly mobile species. We examined the role of cleaning stations as a driver of movement and habitat use in a mobile client species.Here, we used a combination of passive acoustic telemetry and in-water surveys to investigate cleaning station attendance by the reef manta ray Mobula alfredi. We employed a novel approach in the form of a fine-scale acoustic receiver array set up around a known cleaning area and tagged 42 rays. Within the array, we mapped structural features, surveyed the distribution of cleaner wrasse, and observed the habitat use of the rays.We found manta ray space use was significantly associated with blue-streak cleaner wrasse Labroides dimidiatus distribution and hard coral substrate. Cleaning interactions dominated their habitat use at this site, taking precedence over other life history traits such as feeding and courtship.This study has demonstrated that cleaning symbiosis is a driver for highly mobile, and otherwise pelagic, species to visit inshore reef environments. We suggest that targeted and long-term use of specific cleaning stations reflects manta rays having a long-term memory and cognitive map of some shallow reef environments where quality cleaning is provided. We hypothesize that animals prefer cleaning sites in proximity to productive foraging regions.