Role of the gastropod shell and operculum in inhibiting predation by fishs

In contrast to the diets of other cottid fishes and most teleosts, the diet of Asemichthys taylori is dominated by gastropod mollusks. Access to this underused prey appears to be made possible by morphological specializations of the neurocranium that allow Asemichtys to puncture the shells of its pr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inScience (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 241; no. 4861; pp. 92 - 94
Main Author Norton, S F
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published 01.01.1988
Subjects
Asemichthys taylori
Gastropoda
Marine
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Summary:In contrast to the diets of other cottid fishes and most teleosts, the diet of Asemichthys taylori is dominated by gastropod mollusks. Access to this underused prey appears to be made possible by morphological specializations of the neurocranium that allow Asemichtys to puncture the shells of its prey during mastication. Unpunched, the shell and operculum act as a barrier to digestion; more than 40% of the unpunched gastropods emerged alive in the feces. Asemichthys adjusted its punching behavior in an apparently adaptive way; other prey lacking such barriers to digestion were rarely punched. The ability of some shelled invertebrates to avoid digestion may make them less desirable as prey for many fishes that cannot masticate this kind of prey.
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ISSN:0036-8075