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Symbiotic relationships are very common in the marine environment and some taxa seem particularly prone to be involved in associations. Crustaceans probably associate with other phyla more than any other marine animals (Wirtz et al., 2009). Cleaning interactions usually occur at traditional sites (Youngbluth, 1968), thus facilitating the occurrence of repeated activity between cleaners and clients. These cleaning stations might act as 'safe havens' in which predatory interactions are diminished (Cheney et al., 2008).
The yellowline arrow crab, Stenorhynchus seticornis (Herbst, 1788), belongs to the family Majidae and its distribution range is from the Caribbean to southern Brazil. Due to the wide variety of habitats and life strategies, yellowline arrow crabs are important targets for ecological studies (Cobo, 2006). This species presents as diagnostic features: triangular body with long pointed snout (rostrum), carapace decorated with fine dark lines and claws often have violet tips (Humann & Deloach, 2003a). According to Wirtz et al. (2009), S. seticornis is most commonly associated with anemones, in groups ranging from one to six individuals in south-eastern Brazil.
There are approximately 200 recognized species of moray eels (Muraenidae) (Smith & Böhlke, 1990; Böhlke & Smith, 2002), green moray, Gymnothorax funebris (Ranzani, 1840), purplemouth moray, G. vicinus (Castelnau, 1855), spotted moray, G. moringe (Cuvier, 1829) (Figure 1A) and longjaw squirrelfish, Holocentrus adscencionis (Figure 1B), ranging in adult length from just a few centimetres to more than 3 m (Böhlke & Randall, 2000). Their diet includes fish, crustaceans and octopuses (Randall, 1967).
Fig. 1.
(A) The painted moray eels Gymnothorax moringa in the Quebra Mar Sul artificial reef (photograph by José de Anchieta C.C. Nunes); and (B) the squirrelfish Holocentrus adscencionis in the Barra reef (photograph by Diego V. Medeiros) both being cleaned by yellowline arrow crab Stenorhynchus seticornis.
The Holocentridae family consists of 65 species and eight genera (Froese & Pauly, 2010). Seven species are found along the Brazilian coast and oceanic islands (Freire & Carvalho-Filho, 2009). The longjaw squirrelfish Holocentrus adscencionis (Osbeck, 1765) is distributed in the western Atlantic, from North Carolina to Santa Catarina and the Brazilian oceanic islands. It is a nocturnal fish that can reach 35 cm in length and is eventually captured for food or ornamental...