A quantitative analysis of ferric iron in butterflyfish teeth (Chaetodontidae, Perciformes) and the relationship to feeding ecology

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Despite much work on the iron compounds found on invertebrate and vertebrate teeth, no interspecific quantitative analyses of iron compounds in fish teeth have ever been conducted, nor in any vertebrate has such a study related the iron concentrations to the feeding ecology. This study reveals that ferric iron exists on the tooth cap of eight species of chaetodontid butterflyfishes. The iron layer appears early in tooth development and is darkest, and presumably more concentrated, towards the tooth tip. There are significant differences among the eight species, with those that feed on harder prey having more iron than those that feed on softer-bodied prey. Furthermore, there exist differences among the species that correlate with the degree of morphological specialization for feeding on hard-bodied prey. The iron layer, which has been shown by others to be harder than the underlying enameloid, probably represents a specialization to harden the teeth, resisting abrasion and cracking.