Losey Lab Research: Coping with UV

Many parrotfish species (Scaridae) secrete mucus cocoons, or envelopes, which they sleep in at night. The cocoons have antibiotic properties, and are also thought to protect the sleeping fish from predation. We tested daytime mucus vs. nocturnal mucus cocoons from the same parrotfish individuals, with striking results. The nocturnal cocoons did not contain any UV-absorbing compounds that we could detect. Transmission spectra of both cocoons (top curves) and daytime mucus (bottom curves) for three parrotfish individuals of different species are shown below:

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