Gastropods as Predators and Prey at Easter Island

Abstract

First observations are reported of predator-prey relationships among gastropod mollusks of the depauperate, Indo-West Pacific derivative, intertidal and shallow subtidal benthic fauna of Easter Island. Conus miliaris, which will be reported in detail in a separate paper, and Pisania decapitata englerli prey on polychaete annelids; Mitraflavocingulata preys on sipunculans; and Neothais nesiotes preys on barnacles intertidally and gastropods subtidally. Gastropods of at least three species are eaten by the most common Easter Island starfish, Astrostole paschae.