{"id":35,"date":"2014-03-13T17:29:56","date_gmt":"2014-03-13T17:29:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.valdosta.edu\/tphenkel\/?page_id=35"},"modified":"2014-03-14T19:25:03","modified_gmt":"2014-03-14T19:25:03","slug":"larval-predation-by-ophiothrix-lineata","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blog.valdosta.edu\/tphenkel\/marine-ecology\/ophiothrix_lineata\/larval-predation-by-ophiothrix-lineata\/","title":{"rendered":"Larval Predation by Ophiothrix lineata"},"content":{"rendered":"

Individual\u00a0Ophiothrix lineata<\/em> live inside the tubes of the sponge\u00a0Callyspongia vaginalis<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The sponge is unique compared to most sponges on Caribbean coral reefs in that it broods larvae<\/a> inside it’s tissue and releases them all year round. \u00a0The size of these larvae, ~0.5-1.5 mm in length, are within the size range of potential food items for\u00a0O. lineata<\/em>.<\/p>\n

So the question arises… can\u00a0O. lineata\u00a0<\/em>consume sponge larvae?<\/p>\n

To address this question, we placed individual brittlestars in a clear dish with seawater and some sponge larvae. \u00a0The video was shot in the dark, using infrared lighting, as brittlestars do not like the light. \u00a0The camera is pointed through the clear dish at the the oral surface (mouth) of the brittlestar.<\/p>\n

Watch the video below, and see just what the brittlestar can do. \u00a0 You can see the motile larvae swimming around in the dish, and the brittlestar using it’s tube feet to capture and consume the larvae.<\/p>\n