Intra-and interspecific interactions among several gastropods with special reference to kleptoparasitis

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Five muricid species inhabit shallow tidepools dominated by the mussel Hormomya mutabilis in the rocky intertidal shore of Shirahama, Wakayama. Their behaviors were analyzed using a time-lapse video recorder in the laboratory and field to know the aspect of intra- and interspecific interactions among whelks. Morula musiva and Muricodrupa fusca attacked H.mutabilis by drilling a hole on a mussel shell. M.musiva sometimes robed a conspecific individual of a prey. Thais clavigera Form C attacked a mussel by inserting its proboscis between prey valves, and scavenged the flesh of a mussel remained or robed a predator of its mussel. Ergalatax contractus and Cronica margariticola seldom attacked a mussel, but depend on mussels opened by other predators, which includes both scavenging and kleptoparasitism. E.contractus sometimes attacked a conspecific or other whelk.Some experiments were conducted to know the effect of the existence of other species. The growth rate of E.contractus became higher when they were kept with M.musiva. On the other hand, the growth of M.musiva was not affected by the existence of E.contructus. M.musiva seemed to compensate the loss of kleptoparasitism with increasing the frequency of attacking.Very complicated intra- and interspecific interactions were seen among muricid species inhabiting the tidepools dominated by H.mutabilis. Especially, kleptoparasitism seems to play an important role there. To understand this unique whelk community further experiments and observations are needed.