Cleaning behavior is a well-known example of trophic specialization that is widespread in marine organisms from both tropical and temperate ecosystems. Cleaner species can be more or less specialized in different aspects of cleaning interactions, and it is often assumed that the more specialized cleaners are, the more they rely on clients for food. However, cleaners can consume different items in different sites, and the factors influencing such variation are still poorly understood. Here, we investigated the diet and distribution of the barber goby Elacatinus figaro across marginal reefs of the Brazilian coast. We evaluated E. figaro’s reliance on cleaning interactions for food and asked whether its diet and abundance corresponded to the availability of ectoparasites and/or clients. The diet of E. figaro varied across sites, but ectoparasite reliance was similar and did not correspond to client’s infestation loads. Moreover, the density of E. figaro did not correlate with the density or richness of potential clients. These support the hypothesis that E. figaro is less reliant on cleaning interactions for food than other cleaning goby species and suggest a high feeding and behavioral plasticity in marginal reefs. This study also highlights that the current dichotomous classification scheme of dedicated versus facultative cleaners fails to capture the subtle nuances of cleaning behavior and should therefore be used with caution in future comparative studies.

清洁行为是营养特化的一个众所周知的例子，营养特化在热带和温带生态系统的海洋生物中普遍存在。清洁物种可以或多或少地专门从事清洁互动的各个方面，并且通常认为，专业性越强的清洁工，他们对客户食物的依赖就越多。但是，清洁工可以在不同的地点消费不同的物品，而影响这种变化的因素仍然知之甚少。在这里，我们调查了虾虎鱼Elacatinus figaro在巴西海岸边缘礁石上的饮食和分布。我们评估了E. figaro的 依赖于食品的清洁相互作用，并询问其饮食和丰度是否与体外寄生虫和/或客户的可利用性相对应。费加氏大肠杆菌的饮食因地点而异，但寄生虫的依存度相似，并不符合客户的侵扰负荷。此外，E。figaro的密度与潜在客户的密度或丰富程度不相关。这些支持了费加罗氏大肠杆菌的假说。与其他清洁虾虎鱼物种相比，它对食品清洁相互作用的依赖性较小，这表明边缘珊瑚礁具有较高的摄食性和行为可塑性。这项研究还强调指出，目前的专用清洁器与兼职清洁器的二分分类方案未能捕捉到清洁行为的细微差别，因此在以后的比较研究中应谨慎使用。