Abstract
On many sea shores of the Niedersachsen coast, the polychaete Scolelepis squamata is the dominant animal species living in the sediment of exposed beaches.The population of the predatory species Eteone longa, with a main distribution in more sheltered intertidal and subtidal habitats, has a certain overlap with S. squamata. In these restricted areas, S. squamata suffers from a permanent pursuit by E. longa during low tide. Field and laboratory studies have revealed that this predator-prey relationship follows a distinct behavioural pattern and is an exploitation of surviving animals: the predator does not ingest the whole prey individual but only feeds on regenerable parts of the body. Both species draw characteristic tracks on the sediment surface that illustrate the phases of the chase, the attempts at defence and the mutilation of the prey species.
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We are indebted to Dr. Sandra Jaklin, Hermann Bick and Dr. Gerhard Cadée for their critical discussion and reading of the manuscript.
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Communicated by O. Kinne, Oldendorf/Luhe
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Michaelis, H., Vennemann, L. The “piece-by-piece predation” of Eteone longa on Scolelepis squamata (Polychaetes )—traces on the sediment documenting chase, defence and mutilation. Marine Biology 147, 719–724 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-005-1595-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-005-1595-8