Ecology Summary - Ochmacanthus alternus

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Main Ref.	Winemiller, K.O. and H.Y. Yan, 1989
Remarks	O. alternus has been observed to emerge from the substrate at night and attempt to attach itself to the bodies of cichlids. Its unusually thin-walled alimentary canal should be adaptive for mucus feeding since mechanical breakdown of particles would be a minimal requisite. It possesses a leech-like morphology that presumably facilitates attachment to the host's body. The broad, ventrically oriented mouth armed with numerous minute teeth may function as a sucker in addition to its primary role as a mucus scraper (Ref. 36962).

Main Ref.

Winemiller, K.O. and H.Y. Yan, 1989

Remarks

O. alternus has been observed to emerge from the substrate at night and attempt to attach itself to the bodies of cichlids. Its unusually thin-walled alimentary canal should be adaptive for mucus feeding since mechanical breakdown of particles would be a minimal requisite. It possesses a leech-like morphology that presumably facilitates attachment to the host's body. The broad, ventrically oriented mouth armed with numerous minute teeth may function as a sucker in addition to its primary role as a mucus scraper (Ref. 36962).

Aquatic zones / Water bodies

	Marine - Neritic	Marine - Oceanic	Brackishwater	Freshwater
Marine zones / Brackish and freshwater bodies	supra-littoral zone littoral zone sublittoral zone	epipelagic mesopelagic epipelagic abyssopelagic hadopelagic	estuaries/lagoons/brackish seas mangroves marshes/swamps	rivers/streams lakes/ponds caves exclusively in caves

Highighted items on the list are where Ochmacanthus alternus may be found.

Habitat

Substrate
Substrate Ref.
Special habitats
Special habitats Ref.

Associations

Ref.
Associations
Associated with
Association remarks
Parasitism

Feeding

Feeding type	plants/detritus+animals (troph. 2.2-2.79)
Feeding type Ref.	Winemiller, K.O. and H.Y. Yan, 1989
Feeding habit
Feeding habit Ref.

Trophic Level(s)

Estimation method	Original sample		Unfished population		Remark
Estimation method	Troph	s.e.	Troph	s.e.	Remark
From diet composition	2.00	0.00			Troph of juv./adults from 1 study.
From individual food items
Ref.

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