#aeolidioidea

Blue dragon nudibranch (Pteraeolidia ianthina)

KLEPTOPREDATION: RESEARCHERS DISCOVER A NEW WAY OF CATCHING PREY

While the aeolid nudibranch pilgrim hervia (Cratena peregrina) does prey directly on the hydranths of Eudendrium racemosum- a colonial organism, distantly related to corals, which consists of individual polyps that capture and feed on plankton and small crustaceans -  pilgrim hervia it is stimulated to feed when hydranths have captured and are handling prey.  

According to researchers, this is called Kleptopredation, a form of feeding in which a predator eats prey after these prey has hunted, consuming both the prey and its recent meal. Researchers showed that the nudibranchs doubled their attack rate on prey that had gorged on zooplankton when compared with hungry counterparts.

Using Isotope analyzes to investigate the diet of this nudibranch, researchers discovered they were missing a prey in the diet, which was not noticed before, realizing that pilgrim hervia fed on the prey captured by the hydrants. Also they showed that the nudibranchs doubled their attack rate on prey that had gorged on zooplankton when compared with hungry counterparts.

GIF:  aeolid nudibranch pilgrim hervia preying directly on the hydranths of Eudendrium racemosum.

Nudibranch (Phyllodesmium briareum)