RAPID WASTING DISEASE

Les Kaufman lesk at bio.bu.edu
Fri Sep 12 18:20:01 EDT 1997


Regarding the identification of RWD and the possibility that it may
actually be S. viride bitemarks....

Remember that if something else killed the coral and microturf started to
grow, S. viride would be attracted to it and bite it.  It would be very
difficult to determine on inspection whether RWD preceded, or resulted
from, an excavating bite mark.

Also, there are of course other excavating scarines in the tropical west
Atlantic.  S. viride is the only Sparisoma that routinely does so, and the
only parrotfish in the TWA that regularly eats, or at least bites, living
coral.

Can somebody remind me where the web page is that posts photos of RWD?



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