The Biology of Terebra gouldi Deshayes, 1859, and a Discussion of Life History Similarities among Other Terebrids of Similar Proboscis Type

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dc.contributor.author Miller, Bruce A.
dc.date.accessioned 2008-05-08T07:31:00Z
dc.date.available 2008-05-08T07:31:00Z
dc.date.issued 1975-07
dc.description.abstract Although gastropods of the family Terebridae are common in subtidal sand communities throughout the tropics, Terebra gouldi, a species endemic to the Hawaiian Islands, is the first terebrid for which a complete life history is known. Unlike most toxoglossan gastropods, which immobilize their prey through invenomation, T. gouldi possesses no poison apparatus and captures its prey with a long muscular proboscis. It is a primary carnivore, preying exclusively on the enteropneust Ptychodera flava, a nonselective deposit feeder. The snail lies completely buried in the sand during the day, but emerges to search for prey after dark. Prey are initially detected by distance chemoreception, but contact of the anterior foot with the prey is necessary for proboscis eversion and feeding. The sexes in T. gouldi are separate, and copulation takes place under the sand. Six to eight spherical eggs are deposited in a stalked capsule, and large numbers of capsules are attached in a cluster to coral or pebbles. There is no planktonic larval stage. Juveniles hatch through a perforation in the capsule from 30-40 days after development begins and immediately burrow into the sand. Growth is relatively slow. Young individuals may grow more than 1 cm per year, but growth rates slow considerably with age. Adults grow to a maximum size of 8 cm and appear to live 7-10 years. Natural predation on adults 3 or more years old is insignificant, but the sand crab Calappa hepatica and the gastropod Natica gualteriana successfully prey on younger individuals. Other terebrids with a proboscis nearly identical in structure to that of T. gouldi exhibit similar life history aspects, including habitat preference and prey choice. It is suggested that proboscis types may be useful in predicting basic life history aspects throughout the family.
dc.identifier.citation Miller BA. 1975. The biology of Terebra gouldi Deshayes, 1859, and a discussion of life history similarities among other terebrids of similar proboscis type. Pac Sci 29(3): 227-241.
dc.identifier.issn 0030-8870
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/10125/1442
dc.language.iso en-US
dc.publisher University of Hawai'i Press
dc.title The Biology of Terebra gouldi Deshayes, 1859, and a Discussion of Life History Similarities among Other Terebrids of Similar Proboscis Type
dc.type Article
dc.type.dcmi Text
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Pacific Science Volume 29, Number 3, 1975