info:eu-repo/semantics/article
Diet of the invasive sea slug Pleurobranchaea maculata in Patagonian coastal waters
Fecha
2019-01Registro en:
Bökenhans, Verena Diana; Fernandez Alfaya, Jose Elias; Bigatti, Gregorio; Averbuj, Andres; Diet of the invasive sea slug Pleurobranchaea maculata in Patagonian coastal waters; Royal Society of New Zealand; New Zealand Journal Of Zoology; 46; 1; 1-2019; 87-94
0301-4223
1175-8821
CONICET Digital
CONICET
Autor
Bökenhans, Verena Diana
Fernandez Alfaya, Jose Elias
Bigatti, Gregorio
Averbuj, Andres
Resumen
High densities of the invasive sea slug, Pleurobranchaea maculata, have been detected on the Argentinean coast, but studies on the species’ adaptation have been absent until now. Stomach contents of P. maculata in two sampling sites located at Golfo Nuevo, Patagonia Argentina, revealed animals as a major prey, but surprisingly algae ingestion on both sampling sites was abundant. This fact was not reported in previous studies that described opportunistic carnivorous feeding habits of species belonging to the genus Pleurobranchaea. Significant differences in the species prey items were found between sampling sites; however, sedentary polychaetes were the main consumed group at both sites. These results are useful to understand the adaptation of this invasive species in Argentinean waters and to monitor future changes in the benthic communities colonised by P. maculata.