Meeting Abstract

P2.42  Saturday, Jan. 5  Going out for a bite: how the mangrove rivulus Kryptolebias marmoratus leaves the water to capture terrestrial prey PRONKO, AJ*; PERLMAN, BM; ASHLEY-ROSS, MA; Wake Forest University; Wake Forest University; Wake Forest University pronaj9@wfu.edu

Mangrove rivulus (Kryptolebias marmoratus) is a small fusiform teleost (Cyprinodontiformes) with the ability to locomote on land, leaving their aquatic habitat for moist, terrestrial environments when water conditions are poor, or, as we show here, to capture terrestrial insects. We quantified kinematics of the water-land transition for this seemingly ordinary fish, selecting five specimens from a single population. Fish were individually housed in 2.5 gallon tanks with 25 ppt salinity. Tanks were temperature controlled at 25^°C, with a 12 hour photoperiod. The specimens were conditioned to eat pinhead crickets on one side of their tanks. After two weeks of conditioning, a barrier with an ecologically relevant slope of 15^° was partially submerged in the middle of each tank, forcing the fish to transition from water to land and back in order to feed. Kinematics during the transition were recorded using Fastec high speed video cameras (125-250 fps). Videos were then analyzed using Didge and ImageJ software programs. Transition behaviors were characterized and analyzed according to their specific type. Body wavelength, amplitude, and frequency were quantified for movements along the substrate, along with initial jump velocity for launching behaviors. K. marmoratus use a diverse suite of behaviors to transition from water to land. These behaviors can be categorized as jumps, pounces, and squiggles. Prey are captured terrestrially and brought underwater for consumption. K. marmoratus’s suite of behaviors represents a novel solution to non-tetrapodal terrestrial locomotion, which suggests that fishes may have been able to transiently exploit land habitats earlier than the Late Devonian proto-tetrapods.