Locomotion of Stramonita haemastoma (Linnaeus) (Gastropoda, Muricidae) on a mixed shore of rocks and sand

Papp, Marcos G.; Duarte, Luiz F.L.

doi:10.1590/S0101-81752001000100022

Abstract

Mixed shores of rocks and sand are appropriate systems for the study of limitations that the isolation of rocks may impose for gastropods that typically inhabit rocky shores. We marked 52 Stramonita haemastoma (Linnaeus, 1767) snails on a mixed shore and found that 34 of them moved between rocks one to four times during 15 surveys in a period of 72 days. In the experiments, the snails moved on rock by continuous, direct, ditaxic, alternate undulations of the foot sole but on submerged sand they used slower arrhythmic discontinuous contractions of the foot sole. They switched between modes of locomotion in response to the type and topography of the substrate and possibly to water dynamics. In nature, snails moved between rocks forming aggregations where they oviposited. This may have masked other causes of movement, such as availability of prey. Most snails burrowed into the sand when the rocks became exposed during low tides. Further experiments are needed to explicitly address the possible causes of movements among rocks and burial.

Gastropoda; Muricidae; Stramonita; Thais; desiccation; locomotion; mixed shore; oyster drill; Brazil

Locomotion of Stramonita haemastoma (Linnaeus) (Gastropoda, Muricidae) on a mixed shore of rocks and sand

Marcos G. Papp; Luiz F.L. Duarte

Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas. 13083-970 Campinas, São Paulo, Brasil

ABSTRACT

Mixed shores of rocks and sand are appropriate systems for the study of limitations that the isolation of rocks may impose for gastropods that typically inhabit rocky shores. We marked 52 Stramonita haemastoma (Linnaeus, 1767) snails on a mixed shore and found that 34 of them moved between rocks one to four times during 15 surveys in a period of 72 days. In the experiments, the snails moved on rock by continuous, direct, ditaxic, alternate undulations of the foot sole but on submerged sand they used slower arrhythmic discontinuous contractions of the foot sole. They switched between modes of locomotion in response to the type and topography of the substrate and possibly to water dynamics. In nature, snails moved between rocks forming aggregations where they oviposited. This may have masked other causes of movement, such as availability of prey. Most snails burrowed into the sand when the rocks became exposed during low tides. Further experiments are needed to explicitly address the possible causes of movements among rocks and burial.

Key words: Gastropoda, Muricidae, Stramonita, Thais, desiccation, locomotion, mixed shore, oyster drill, Brazil

Full text available only in PDF format.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. We are grateful to C.A. de Magalhães tor suggestions and to C.O.G. Papp, G.G. Rosenthal, M.J. Ryan, M. Tanaka and two anonymous reviewers for comments on the manuscript, and to the Centro de Biologia Marinha da USP (CEBIMar) for logistic support.

Recebido em 28.X.1999; aceito em 05.IV.2001

Burkenroad, M.D. 1931. Notes on the Louisiana conch, Thais haemastoma Linn., in its relation to the oyster, Ostrea virginica. Ecology 12: 656-664.
Butler, A.J. 1979. Relationships between height on the shore and size distributions in Thais spp. (Gastropoda: Muricidae). Jour. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 41:163-194.
Butler, P.A. 1954. The southern oyster drill. Proc. Natl. Shellfisheries Assoc. 44:67-75.
______. 1985. Synoptic review of the literature on the southern oyster drill Thais haemastoma flofidana. NOAA Tech. Rep. NMFS 35:1-9.
Gunter, G. 1979. Studies of the southern oyster borer, Thais haemastoma. Gulf Res. Rep. 6:249-260.
Hughes, R.N. & S. de B. Dunkin. 1984. Behavioural components of prey selection by dogwhelks, Nucella lapillus (L.), feeding on mussels, Mylilus edulis (L.), in the laboratory. Jour. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 77:45-68.
Kohn, A.J. 1961. Chemoreception in gastropod molluscs. Amer. Zool. 1:291-308.
Magalhães, CA. de & R. Coutinho. 1995. Distribution and zonation of three species of predatory gastropods: patterns and adaptations to wave impact in the rocky shore. Publ. Esp. Inst. Oceanogr. São Paulo 11:123-131.
McMahon, R.F. 1992. Respiratory response to temperature and hypoxia in intertidal gastropods from the Texas coast of the Gulf of Mexico, p. 45-59. In: J. Grahame; P.J. Mill & D.G. Retd (Eds). Proc. Third Intern. Symp. Littorinid Biol. Malacological Soc. London.
Migotto, A.E.; C.G. Tiago & A.R.M. Magalhães. 1993. Malacofana marinha da região costeira do Canal de São Sebastião, SP, Brasil: Gastropoda, Bivalvia, Polyplacophora e Scaphopoda. Bolm. Inst. Oceanogr. São Paulo 41:13-27.
Miller, S.L. 1974a. Adaptive design of locomotion and foot form in prosobranch gastropods. Jour. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 14:99-156.
______. 1974b. The classification, taxonomic distribution, and evolution of locomotor types among prosobranch gastropods. Proc. Malac. Soc. Lond. 41:233-261.
Petersen, J.A.; J.P. Sutherland & S. Ortega. 1986. Patch dynamics of mussel beds near São Sebastião (São Paulo), Brazil. Mar. Biol. 93:389-394.
Richardson, T.D. & K.M. Brown. 1990. Wave exposure and prey size selection in an intertidal predator. Jour. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 142:105-120.
Smith, D.J. & W.B. Stickle, 1982. Effects of temperature and salinity on chemoattraction and prey selection by the oyster drill, Thais haemastoma. Amer. Zool. 22:853.
Trueman, E.R. & A.C. Brown. 1992. The burrowing habit of marine gastropods. Adv. Mar. Biol. 28:389-431.
______. 1993. Evolution of burrowing in gastropods: the behavior of the rocky-shore whelk Burnupena catarrhacta on sand. Jour. Moll. Stud. 59:261-263
Vadas, R.L.S.R.; M.T. Burrows & R.N. Hughes. 1994. Foraging strategies of dogwhelks, Nucella lapillus (L.): interacting effects of age, diet and chemical cues to the threat of predation. Oecologia 100:439-450.

Publication Dates

Publication in this collection
30 Apr 2009
Date of issue
Mar 2001

History

Accepted
05 Apr 2001
Received
28 Oct 1999

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

[1] Burkenroad, M.D. 1931. Notes on the Louisiana conch, Thais haemastoma Linn., in its relation to the oyster, Ostrea virginica. Ecology 12: 656-664.

[2] Butler, A.J. 1979. Relationships between height on the shore and size distributions in Thais spp. (Gastropoda: Muricidae). Jour. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 41:163-194.

[3] Butler, P.A. 1954. The southern oyster drill. Proc. Natl. Shellfisheries Assoc. 44:67-75.

[4] ______. 1985. Synoptic review of the literature on the southern oyster drill Thais haemastoma flofidana. NOAA Tech. Rep. NMFS 35:1-9.

[5] Gunter, G. 1979. Studies of the southern oyster borer, Thais haemastoma. Gulf Res. Rep. 6:249-260.

[6] Hughes, R.N. & S. de B. Dunkin. 1984. Behavioural components of prey selection by dogwhelks, Nucella lapillus (L.), feeding on mussels, Mylilus edulis (L.), in the laboratory. Jour. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 77:45-68.

[7] Kohn, A.J. 1961. Chemoreception in gastropod molluscs. Amer. Zool. 1:291-308.

[8] Magalhães, CA. de & R. Coutinho. 1995. Distribution and zonation of three species of predatory gastropods: patterns and adaptations to wave impact in the rocky shore. Publ. Esp. Inst. Oceanogr. São Paulo 11:123-131.

[9] McMahon, R.F. 1992. Respiratory response to temperature and hypoxia in intertidal gastropods from the Texas coast of the Gulf of Mexico, p. 45-59. In: J. Grahame; P.J. Mill & D.G. Retd (Eds). Proc. Third Intern. Symp. Littorinid Biol. Malacological Soc. London.

[10] Migotto, A.E.; C.G. Tiago & A.R.M. Magalhães. 1993. Malacofana marinha da região costeira do Canal de São Sebastião, SP, Brasil: Gastropoda, Bivalvia, Polyplacophora e Scaphopoda. Bolm. Inst. Oceanogr. São Paulo 41:13-27.

[11] Miller, S.L. 1974a. Adaptive design of locomotion and foot form in prosobranch gastropods. Jour. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 14:99-156.

[12] ______. 1974b. The classification, taxonomic distribution, and evolution of locomotor types among prosobranch gastropods. Proc. Malac. Soc. Lond. 41:233-261.

[13] Petersen, J.A.; J.P. Sutherland & S. Ortega. 1986. Patch dynamics of mussel beds near São Sebastião (São Paulo), Brazil. Mar. Biol. 93:389-394.

[14] Richardson, T.D. & K.M. Brown. 1990. Wave exposure and prey size selection in an intertidal predator. Jour. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 142:105-120.

[15] Smith, D.J. & W.B. Stickle, 1982. Effects of temperature and salinity on chemoattraction and prey selection by the oyster drill, Thais haemastoma. Amer. Zool. 22:853.

[16] Trueman, E.R. & A.C. Brown. 1992. The burrowing habit of marine gastropods. Adv. Mar. Biol. 28:389-431.

[17] ______. 1993. Evolution of burrowing in gastropods: the behavior of the rocky-shore whelk Burnupena catarrhacta on sand. Jour. Moll. Stud. 59:261-263

[18] Vadas, R.L.S.R.; M.T. Burrows & R.N. Hughes. 1994. Foraging strategies of dogwhelks, Nucella lapillus (L.): interacting effects of age, diet and chemical cues to the threat of predation. Oecologia 100:439-450.