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<DIV><FONT color=#000000><FONT size=2>Greetings
Coral-Listers,</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000><FONT size=2></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000><FONT size=2>Probably all of you know that some
parrotfishes and wrasses spend the night lying motionless inside a mucus cocoon,
while some of you may even have observed this personally. I have searched the
scientific literature to learn what scarid and labrid species make such cocoons,
but failed to find a clear answer. </FONT></FONT><FONT color=#000000><FONT
size=2>S</FONT></FONT><FONT color=#000000><FONT size=2><FONT size=2>ome authors
even suggested that the production of these cocoons depends on the age of the
fish, and varies with environmental factors (e.g. predation risk).
</FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=2> The aim of this message to
collect the scattered information on this subject and compile it; the result
will be posted back on Coral-List. Therefore, I kindly ask the members of this
list to share with me their observations on scarid and labrid fish sleeping
inside </FONT><FONT size=2><FONT color=#000000>mucus cocoons and on the
environments in which were observed. I am grateful for any (reliable)
information and comments from colleagues, scuba-divers, and aquarium
holders. </FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Specific questions are:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2> Did you ever observe a sleeping labrid or
scarid fish on the reef well enough to tell with certitude what species it was?
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2> If yes:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2> a) what species was it?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2> b) what was it's life phase? (juvenile,
initial phase, terminal phase)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2> c) was mucus cocoon present?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2> d) any special observations on the mucus
cocoon? (e.g. was it intact, were other biota associated) </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2> d) what was the habitat? (e.g. fore reef
slope, at 12 m depth)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2> e) short description of the sleeping site
(e.g. on sandy bottom under coral boulder)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2><FONT color=#000000> f ) human impact on the
reef in question (e.g. high fishing intensity) </FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=2>In advance, many thanks for your
comments.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=2></FONT><FONT size=2>Sincerely, Henrich
Bruggemann</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Please respond to:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2><A
href="mailto:j.h.bruggemann@biol.rug.nl">j.h.bruggemann@biol.rug.nl</A><BR>____________________________________________________<BR>Dr.
Henrich Bruggemann<BR>Dept. of Marine Biology<BR>University of Groningen<BR>P.O.
Box 14, 9750 AA Haren<BR>The Netherlands</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Tel: +31 50 3632259<BR>Fax: +31 50
3632261</FONT></DIV></DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>