Alternative styles in the European wrasse, Symphodus ocellatus: Boldness-related schooling tendency

Underwater field observations in a non-reproductive period revealed enormous variation in schooling tendencies among individual european wrasses, Symphodus ocellatus. The fish occupying vegetated habitats displayed much more pronounced schooling tendencies than those from open areas. Sixteen solitary and schooling males were caught with a small seine and observed in a novel environment. The former individuals turned out to be much more bold and active than the latter in this test, which would suggest lower fear and higher exploratory tendency. It was hypothesized that the bolder wrasses might appear as territorial nest-builders in the reproductive period, whereas the shyer ones are likely to play sneaky and satellite tactics.