Micromolluscs of the stomach conten to fasteroids genus Astropecten: Origin of reference collection

Micromoluscos del contenido estomacal de asteroideos del género Astropecten: Origen de una colección de referencia

• Ricardo Bitter-Soto Universidad Francisco de Miranda
• Ronald Rivas-Suarez Universidad Francisco de Miranda

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5027646

Keywords: micromollusks, benthic communities, trophic relationship, reference collection, niche overlap

Abstract

It was analyzed the stomach contents of 1530 asteroids of the genusAstropecten: A. brasiliensis,A. cf articulatus yA. marginatus, collected at golfo Triste, wide cove of center-west coast of Venezuela of a total of 8000 separated specimens, 80 species of micro mollusks grouped into 34 families were identified: gastropods (20), bivalves (13) and scaphopods(01). Once identified, these specimens were counted and measured, and formed the basis of a reference collection of micromolluscs, unique in western Venezuela. Based on the number of species, the most diverse gastropods families were: Turridae (13 spp.), Pyramidellidae (six spp.), Vitrinellidae (five spp.) and Olividae (four spp.). The most abundant bivalve families were Veneridae (five spp.), Lucinidae and Nuculanidae (three spp. each). Among the gastropods, the most abundant species was Finella dubia. The rest of the gastropods represented 19.9%. Among the bivalves, Varicorbula operculata was the most abundant species (9.2%). Globally, mollusks, markedly gastropods, bivalves and scaphopods, agglutinated between 75% -88% of the identified species. The analysis of stomach content indicates that the three Astropecten species mainly consume four groups of mollusk prey, with amarked preference for gastropods. Differences were found at the level of the proportion of each group and in the species-prey and theirsizes. This shows that all three species ofasteroids have overlapping trophic niches. Although some authors may findany typeof prey inthe stomach contents of these asteroids, consumption is preferentially for gastropods, in different proportions andsizes.

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