THE FEEDING AND SWIMMING OF CONCHOECIA (CRUSTACEA, OSTRACODA)

Abstract

1. The swimming and feeding of living Conchoecia is described. In general, the observations reported support conclusions arrived at by Iles from anatomical studies.2. Freshly caught animals swam constantly, except during feeding. Apparent running over the bottom was achieved by beating of the antennal exopods, as in swimming, and was not the result of any action by the more leglike appendages.3. The food consisted almost entirely of dead crustaceans. Formed masses of detritus were also eaten. Living Crustacea were generally ignored, although one attack on a possibly moribund specimen was observed.4. There was much shifting and rotation of the food by the mandibular palps, the exopods of the maxillae and first trunk limbs, and the caudal furca. This manipulation served to press different parts of the food against the mandibular gnathobases. Loss of food was prevented by the sticky secretion of the marginal carapace glands.5. The dorsal condyle of the mandible seemed to be more loosely articulated than would appear from the description by Iles.6. There was no significant filtration of particles from the current produced by the beating of the vibratory plates.7. Swirls caused by the more leglike appendages brought in particles which became trapped in the sticky secretion of the marginal carapace glands. Resulting boluses of Sepia ink particles were pushed to the mouth and swallowed. However, there are reasons to doubt the significance of this mechanism in the natural habitat.