THE NUTRITION OF PARANEMERTES PEREGRINA (RHYNCHOCOELA: HOPLONEMERTEA). I. STUDIES ON FOOD AND FEEDING BEHAVIOR

¹ Department of Zoology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98105

1. Paranemertes peregrina, an abundant hoplonemertean in rocky and muddy intertidal habitats of Washington, feeds on polychaetes during low tide periods.

2. Feeding by Paranemertes involves three steps. The first stage is a recoil of the Paranemertes' head upon contact with a prey. Contact must be made with the prey; Paranemertes does not find prey by distance chemoreception. The proboscis is everted and wraps around the prey in step two. The prey is temporarily paralyzed or is killed. In step three the prey is ingested by means of sucking motions from muscles around the mouth. Defecation occurs from 12 to 33 hours after feeding.

3. Specimens of Paranemertes ate mainly nereid polychaetes at the three study areas where nereids were available. At the fourth study area the nemerteans ate a wider variety of polychaetes. Experiments to test food preference showed that specimens of Paranemertes from all study areas strongly preferred nereids to members of other polychaete families.

4. Nereid polychaetes have a swimming escape response from Paranemertes.

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