Dynamic colour change as a signalling tool in bluelined goatfish (<em>Upeneicthtys lineatus</em>)

We explored dynamic colour change in the bluelined goatfish <em>Upeneichthys lineatus</em>, a temperate marine teleost species. <em>Upeneichthus lineatus</em> can change in a matter of seconds, from a uniform white colour to display prominent, vertical, dark red stripes. Initial observations suggested that rapid colour change in <em>U. lineatus</em> was associated with feeding and may act as a signal to both conspecifics and heterospecifics that are frequently observed to follow feeding goatfish. Field observations of the colour and behaviour of individual <em>U. lineatus</em> were collected to (1) document the repertoire of behaviours that <em>U. lineatus</em> displays and categorise associated colour patterns; (2) quantify the speed of dynamic colour change; (3) establish the context in which <em>U. lineatus</em> changes colour and pattern; and (4) test whether the behaviour of follower fishes is influenced by colour patterning or specific behaviours of the focal goatfish 
We followed and filmed 35 individual bluelined goatfish in three-minute sessions on SCUBA. Recordings were made at depths of 5 - 10 metres at temperate locations in Sydney, Australia, where <em>U. lineatus</em> occur regularly: Gordons Bay (33° 54' 56.66'' S, 151° 15' 47.26'' E), Shelly Beach (33° 48' 0.36'' S, 151° 17' 47.31'' E), and Bare Island (33° 59' 29.17'' S, 151° 13' 59.25'' E). 
The focal goatfish behaviour, colour and the underlying substrate was recorded at each five second interval. We also recorded to species any follower fish that were actively interacting or following the focal fish. Also recorded was the behaviour, and where relevant, the colouration of the follower fish.

我们针对温带海洋真骨鱼类（teleost）蓝线羊鱼（*Upeneichthys lineatus*）的动态体色变化展开研究。该鱼种可在数秒内完成体色转换，从通体白色变为展现出醒目的垂直深红色条纹的状态。初步观测显示，线纹羊鱼（*Upeneichthus lineatus*）的快速体色变化与摄食行为相关，且可能作为信号传递给同种个体与异种个体——过往观测中常有鱼类跟随摄食的羊鱼活动。我们通过野外观测收集线纹羊鱼（*U. lineatus*）个体的体色与行为数据，以达成以下4项研究目标：（1）记录该物种的行为谱并对关联体色模式进行分类；（2）量化动态体色变化的速率；（3）明确线纹羊鱼改变体色与体色模式的情境；（4）验证跟随鱼类的行为是否会受到目标羊鱼的体色模式或特定行为的影响。
我们依托水肺潜水（SCUBA），以3分钟为一个观测时段，对35尾蓝线羊鱼个体进行跟踪与录像记录。本次观测在澳大利亚悉尼的温带海域开展，该区域为线纹羊鱼的常规栖息分布地，水深设定为5至10米，具体观测点位包括：戈登湾（南纬33°54'56.66''，东经151°15'47.26''）、贝壳海滩（南纬33°48'0.36''，东经151°17'47.31''）以及巴尔岛（南纬33°59'29.17''，东经151°13'59.25''）。
我们以每5秒为一个时间间隔，记录目标羊鱼的行为、体色以及栖息底质。同时，我们还会对主动与目标羊鱼互动或跟随目标羊鱼的跟随鱼类进行物种鉴定，并记录这些跟随鱼类的行为，在相关情况下同步记录其体色特征。

搜集汇总

背景与挑战

背景概述

该数据集研究了蓝线羊鱼（Upeneichthys lineatus）的快速动态颜色变化，旨在探索颜色变化作为信号工具在捕食和社交互动中的作用。数据通过野外潜水观察和视频记录收集，包括35个个体的行为、颜色和跟随鱼类信息，覆盖悉尼的多个海洋地点。数据集发布于2023年，涉及行为生态学和海洋生态学，使用CC BY许可公开可用，并经过FAIR评估以确保可查找性和可重用性。