PREY PREFERENCE AND PREDATORY BEHAVIOR OF Aurantilaria aurantiaca (MOLLUSCA: GASTROPODA: FASCIOLARIIDAE)

Authors

  • Carlos Augusto Oliveira de Meirelles Laboratório de Invertebrados Marinhos - LIMCE, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Centro de Ciências, Departamento de Biologia, bloco 909 Campus do Pici. CEP. 60455-970, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia de Pesca – Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil
  • Helena Matthews-Cascon Laboratório de Invertebrados Marinhos - LIMCE, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Centro de Ciências, Departamento de Biologia, bloco 909 Campus do Pici. CEP. 60455-970, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil. Instituto de Ciências do Mar (LABOMAR), Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32360/acmar.v49i2.6554

Keywords:

Predation, handling time, Mollusca, Gastropoda, Fasciolariidae, Aurantilaria aurantiaca.

Abstract

Fasciolariid species are predators that prey on other gastropods and bivalves. They usually break prey shell to reach its soft parts. In this study, prey species that Aurantilaria aurantiaca consumes at Pacheco Beach (Ceará State, Northeast Brazil) and its prey preference in laboratory conditions were determined. Prey species observed were Pisania pusio, Tegula viridula and Stramonita brasiliensis. Prey preference experiment was performed placing one individual of Aurantilaria aurantiaca and one individual of each prey species in a 5 liters tank. It lasted 60 days and was replicated 10 times. Handling time of predation on each prey was measured by placing one predator with one prey into separate plastic containers in an 80 liters tank. Observations were made every 2 hours over a 30-day period. Aurantilaria aurantiaca showed preference for Stramonita brasiliensis, which presented the shortest handling time. Pisania pusio and Tegula viridula didn’t show statistical significant results (p = 0.7235 e 0.2499 respectively). Aurantilaria aurantiaca presented 2 main predatory strategies: direct prey shell penetration and asphyxiating process. No damaged prey shells were observed. The predator showed a generalist predatory behavior. Prey handling time variations demonstrated that Aurantilaria aurantiaca predation act involved a training process.

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Published

2017-05-05

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Artigos originais