‘Jumping’ attack strikes by the predatory marine snail Agaronia propatula (Caenogastropoda: Olividae)

Abstract

The gastropod Agaronia propatula (Olividae) forages on the sandy beach intertidal of the central American Pacific coast. Agaronia resembles subtidal Oliva spp. morphologically and behaviourally. While both genera seize prey by rapid movements of the anterior foot, Agaronia sometimes performs ‘jumping’ attack strikes, bouncing onto its prey from above. During such strikes, the foot folds lengthwise, probably facilitating mechanical control of the erect body posture. We hypothesize that Agaronia’s behaviour may represent an adaptation to foraging on emerged tidal plains, where the medium (air) offers less mechanical resistance to rapid movements than the seawater in which subtidal Oliva species hunt.