Some recent recordings of Sarcastic Fringehead (Neoclinus blanchardi) that I found unusual. The structures these guys are in are the artificial reefs installed on the sea bead to house predators and promote kelp growth along the sand. The depth was about 41'. I normally don't see them venturing outside of their safe hovels. It is hard to say what kind of behavior this is. This requires a bit more recordings and more regular monitoring of these fringehead, in addition to determining the sexes of these individuals. Of the times I've dove the site, I've only seen one fringehead swimming between hovels during a dive. I'd also normally see 1-3 fringehead per dive in these artificial reefs, with the rest of the structures occupied by two-spot octopus.
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Nice job on video, keeping the fish centered and focussed. When I saw the video and the interaction between the two fish I thought it might be territorial behavior. I consulted Milt Love's "Certainly more than you want to know about the fishes of the Pacific Coast: A Postmodern Experience" On page 484, he describes the Sarcastic Fringehead as "a singularly bad-tempered fish." (Dr. Love is known for his humor as well as his fine work as a marine biologist.) he describes the fish as "solitary, and extremely territorial, benthic fish that live in stuff....Walter Marti, observing males guard nests underneath Newport Pier...saw lots of fights. In one instance a male drove another off a nest and the victor moved in and ate the loser's eggs. Typical behavior? Who knows. almost no one has thought to check out what sarcastic fringheads eat."
ReplyDeleteThank you!
ReplyDeleteYes I actually consulted Milton (he says only his wife can call him Dr. Love) about this behavior and it was unusual since they typically are quite territorial. Many more documents of aggressive behavior have been recorded but not like what I saw in this dive. My suspicion is courtship but it is hard to say considering it is a singular instance, outside of any nest sites, and it is not quite possible to determine the sexes of the two fish. Were they both Males or one female and one male, or two females? It is hard to tell without a physical inspection. It is suspected they eat crustaceans and other benthic prey. If I was to record more of these kinds of interactions there is a possibility of coming to a conclusion but sadly I only have so much air and these kind of shots only come around so often.
Thanks again for the encouraging words!