The importance of the gastropod Coralliophila abbreviata (Lamarck) and the polychaete Hermodice carunculata (Pallas) as coral reef predators

Abstract

The importance of the stenoglossan prosobranch gastropod Coralliophila abbreviata (Lamarck) and the amphinomid errant polychaete Hermodice carunculata (Pallas) as coral predators in Barbados, West Indies, was investigated. Coralliophila normally feeds upon the coral Montastrea annularis (Ellis and Solander), can consume up to 9 cm2 of tissue in 24 h, and has a mean density of 13 individuals per square meter of living coral in shallow water. Hermodice normally feeds upon the zooanthid Palythoa mammillosa (Ellis and Solander) and the corals Porites porites (Pallas) and Porites astreoides Lamarck. The mean density of Hermodice was less than one individual per square meter of surface of living prey and large worms could consume up to 3 cm2 of living coral tissue in a 3-h feeding period. Because of the low densities of the predators the preference of Hermodice for the zooanthid Palythoa and the fact that Coralliophila feeds only rarely, they did not cause extensive damage to reef corals.