I am working on the mechanics of swimming in wrasses and would like to know
more about variation in natural swimming behavior. I am comparing the
mechanics of fish that have either poorly or well developed sustained
swimming ability (ability to swim at high speeds for long periods of time)
but I don't know why this variation exists. I would like any information
people have to offer on the swimming behavior of different wrasses (parrot
fishes as well), from something as simple as fish xxx sits in a hole all
day and rarely comes out to something specific like fish xxx has a measured
foraging range of xxx meters squared. Why do the fish have more or less
swimming activity? diet (are different inverts distributed differently -
i.e. spread out or concentrated), reproduction, territory defense, etc?

I am specifically comparing _Halichoeres bivittatus_ and _Gomphosus varius_
now but will take any and all information, however trivial, on other
wrasses because I am going to soon extend my analyses and this information
could help decide which species to investigate. I do have many of the
papers on wrasse behavior but I would welcome references to any specific
information on swimming-related behavior.

If you know someone who dives frequently please forward this request on to
them. Thanks in advance.


Jeff

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Jeff Walker
Dept. of Zoology
Field Museum of Natural History
Roosevelt Rd. at Lake Shore Dr.
Chicago, IL 60605, USA
phone: 312-922-9410 x537  fax: 312-427-7269
email: [log in to unmask]

"I like practical applications in mathematics, rather than speculating
about the first ten to the minus something seconds of the universe.
Cosmology seems to be almost too close to theology to be interesting.
To me, it is not quite science, but more like creation myth."

- Sir James Lighthill on Stephen Hawking
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