Cleaner Wrasse

Photo: Debra Baker · CC BY

Cleaner wrasse operate permanent cleaning stations on the lagoon bommies, advertising their services with a distinctive undulating dance that signals safety to visiting fish who suspend normal predator-avoidance to present themselves for parasite removal. The ecological importance of these tiny fish is immense — experimental removal of cleaner wrasse from reefs causes rapid declines in fish health, diversity, and abundance, demonstrating that cleaning stations underpin the entire reef fish community.