title: Cleaner shrimp use a rocking dance to advertise cleaning service to clients.
abstract: Signals transmit information to receivers about sender attributes, increase the fitness of both parties, and are selected for in cooperative interactions between species to reduce conflict [1, 2]. Marine cleaning interactions are known for stereotyped behaviors [3-6] that likely serve as signals. For example, "dancing" and "tactile dancing" in cleaner fish may serve to advertise cleaning services to client fish [7] and manipulate client behavior [8], respectively. Cleaner shrimp clean fish [9], yet are cryptic in comparison to cleaner fish. Signals, therefore, are likely essential for cleaner shrimp to attract clients. Here, we show that the yellow-beaked cleaner shrimp [10] Urocaridella sp. c [11] uses a stereotypical side-to-side movement, or "rocking dance," while approaching potential client fish in the water column. This dance was followed by a cleaning interaction with the client 100% of the time. Hungry cleaner shrimp, which are more willing to clean than satiated ones [12], spent more time rocking and in closer proximity to clients Cephalopholis cyanostigma than satiated ones, and when given a choice, clients preferred hungry, rocking shrimp. The rocking dance therefore influenced client behavior and, thus, appears to function as a signal to advertise the presence of cleaner shrimp to potential clients.
authors.affiliation: School of Integrative Biology, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Australia. jbecker@uq.edu.au
authors.forename: Justine H A
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.forename: Lynda M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Curtis
authors.forename: Alexandra S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Grutter
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000819:Animal Communication; D000818:Animals; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D006815:Hunger / Q000502:physiology; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D019370:Observation; D010140:Pacific Ocean; D033541:Palaemonidae / Q000502:physiology*; D010473:Perciformes / Q000502:physiology; D013559:Symbiosis