Cymatium muricinum and other ranellid gastropods: major predators of cultured tridacnid clams

Abstract

xii 1 . Introduction: Giant Clam Mariculture and Ranellid Gastropods 1.1 Giant Clams (Bivalvia: Tridacnidae) 1 Anatomy and Biology of the Tridacnidae 1 1.2 Mariculture of Giant Clams 3 The History of Giant Clam Mariculture 3 Giant Clam Culture Technology 3 Ocean-Nursery Culture of Tridacnid Clams 5 Predation in Tridacnid Mariculture 6 . 1 3 Ranellidae 8 Habitat Preferences of Ranellid Predators of Tridacnids 10 Ranellid Predators of Other Cultured Bivalves 12 Aims and Scope of the Present Work 13 2 . Feeding Behavior of Cymatium spp . Introduction 14 Materials and Methods 16 Feeding Methods 16 Preference Experiments 17 Time Required byC . muricinum to KillT . gigas 17 Results 18 Feeding Methods 18 Preference Experiments 21 Time Required by C . muricinum to KillT . gigas 23 Discussion 24 Feeding Methods 24 Prey Preference 25 Time Required byC . muricinum to KillT. gigas 27 Implications for the Ocean-Nursery Culture of Tridacnid Clams 27 EvolutionaryAdaptations of Bivalves to Ranellid Predation 28 3 . Growth Rates and Consumption of Prey by Cymatium spp . 3.