Dynamic color change in the grouper Variola louti during interspecific interactions and swimming.

ABSTRACT: Animals can change their body color for various ecological functions. In fish, rapid dynamic color change is primarily known in contexts of intraspecific communication and camouflage, while examples in interspecific contexts are rare. We studied dynamic color changes and their associated behaviors in the grouper Variola louti in its native coral reef environment in the Red Sea. Using underwater videos to record natural behaviors and color-calibrated still images to measure body colors, we quantified color displays as the brightness of the body and the contrast of three distinct patterns: body patches, head stripe, and side bars. V. louti exhibited a diverse range of pattern displays, which rapidly transformed according to its behavioral shifts. A high-contrast head stripe pat

SUBMITTER: Marom S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11851106 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar-Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature