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J. Moll. Stud. (2002), 68, 217-223
© The Malacological Society of London 2002

CORALLIVORY AND PREY CHOICE BY DRUPELLA RUGOSA (GASTROPODA: MURICIDAE) IN HONG KONG

BRIAN MORTON1, GRAHAM BLACKMORE2 and C. T. KWOK1

1 The Swire Institute of Marine Science and Department of Ecology and Biodiversity, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China; 2 Department of Biology, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong SAR, China

Correspondence: B. Morton; e-mail: bmorton{at}hkuce.hku.hk

Prey choice experiments demonstrated preference by the muricid gastropod Drupella rugosa for Acropora pruinosa and Montipora informis, whereas four other species, i.e. Leptastrea purpurea, Pavona decussata, Platygyra sinensis and Favia speciosa, were avoided. Drupella rugosa responded to A. pruinosa more readily than to M. informis. Drupella rugosa also spent significantly different times locating and feeding upon A. pruinosa and M. informis, but was generally slow to be attracted to and locomote towards corals, probably because of its intimate association with them as an obligate predator. A second experiment indicated that significantly more D. rugosa were attracted to corals stressed mechanically and with low salinity water than to unstressed ones. The feeding activity of an individual D. rugosa also stimulated conspecifics to feed. Feeding aggregations were thus formed at individual coral pieces, as observed in the field, and accounting for previously reported `outbreaks' of the predator in Hong Kong.

(Received 1 October 2001; accepted 20 December 2001)


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