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.