Re: Flabellina trophina - feeding on worms

July 10, 2004
From: Ron Velarde

Hi Bill, Jackie and Glen,
As I read your message [m12533], I was skeptical about them feeding on polychaete worms. My impression was that they were just crawling up the tubes looking for hydroids. In reviewing the other messages, I guess it is possible that they are going after the worms; and as you stated Bill, the only way to be sure would be to collect information on the food of several individuals and see if they are in fact feeding on the worms. Or someone could do some feeding studies in the laboratory and see if they feed on polychaetes. We definately need more observations to confirm that polychaete worms are food and not just an accidental intake.

As to the identity of the polychaete worms, I doubt that they are Diopatra ornata. This species adheres sand, gravel, shell debris, algae and anything else it can find to the exposed portion of the tubes that it builds. The tubes in the photos are free of attached debris. In fact, they look just like Spiochaetopterus tubes, as was reported in earlier messages! Also, Diopatra has large powerful jaws and I am sure it would protect itself from a nudibranch trying to munch on it from the opening to it's tube.

Hope this adds a little more to this interesting relationship.
Ron Velarde

rvelarde@sandiego.gov

Velarde, R., 2004 (Jul 10) Re: Flabellina trophina - feeding on worms. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/12559

Thanks Ron,
Bill Rudman

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