Diet of broadstripe cleaning gobies on a Barbadian reef

Gnathiid isopod larvae constituted the majority of countable food items taken by broadstripe gobies, Elacatinus prochilos , on Barbadian coral reefs, which confirms their important role in cleaning interactions. However, E. prochilos does not rely exclusively on cleaning for food since a large amount of benthic material, mainly sponge and coral polyps, was observed in the stomach contents of all cleaners. Less than one-third of cleaners had ingested ectoparasites. Elacatinus prochilos appears to consume few ectoparasites compared with other Elacatinus species elsewhere in the Caribbean and with Indo-Pacific cleaner species.