Elacatinus

Elacatinus is a genus of small marine gobies native to the western Atlantic and Caribbean. Some species remove parasites and dead tissue from larger fish at cleaning stations.

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Cleaning symbiosis: An interaction in which one organism removes parasites or dead tissue from another. Several Elacatinus species perform this service for larger reef fish.
Cleaner fish: Fish that remove parasites or other material from larger fish in cleaning interactions. Cleaning Elacatinus are one lineage within this ecological group.
Gobiidae: A large family of mostly small fishes, including gobies and their close relatives. Elacatinus belongs to this family of often bottom-associated fishes.
Elacatinus chancei: A sponge-dwelling goby from the Caribbean. It shows that the genus includes habitat specialists beyond familiar cleaning species.
Elacatinus evelynae: A Caribbean cleaning goby known as the sharknose goby. This species is a prominent cleaner in the genus.
Ectoparasite: A parasite that lives on the external surface of its host. These organisms are among the food items removed by cleaning gobies.
Gobies: A diverse group of small ray-finned fishes, many associated with the bottom or reef structure. This broader fish group supplies the body plan and ecological context for Elacatinus.
Elacatinus genie: A Caribbean goby commonly known as the cleaning goby. Its cleaning behavior is a well-known example within the genus.
Elacatinus oceanops: A Caribbean cleaning goby commonly called the neon goby. It cleans visiting fish at reef stations and is also bred for aquariums.
Client fish: A fish that visits a cleaner to have parasites or other material removed. Clients approach Elacatinus cleaners and can choose among available stations.