[Coral-List] Fireworm predators - porgies
Steve LeGore
slegore at mindspring.com
Tue Feb 2 14:55:57 EST 2010
The first time I saw a fireworm was at the College of Fisheries, University
of Washington, where they had an aquarium tank full of them. I said,
"What's that?!" as I picked one up. Needless to say, I found out.
The goby in the video did not seem as aggresive in eating the fireworn as
gobies normally seem when finding something edible. It was almost like a
person -- probably a Texan -- eating a very hot pepper.
-----Original Message-----
>From: Amber McCammon
>Sent: Feb 2, 2010 12:10 PM
>To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
>Subject: [Coral-List] Fireworm predators - porgies
>
>
> In reply to Andrew Ross's inquiry. I have been working with Hermodice
> carunculata in the Caribbean and have witnessed a number of individuals of
> Porgy fish (species not verified but I believe they were Calamus
pennatula)
> eating fireworms from my in situ experiments. I have had to modify my
> experimental set up to keep the porgies from using my experimental
> enclosures as feeding troughs.
>
> I brought a few smaller progies (ave. FL = 18cm) into the lab and these
fish
> tried to eat introduced fireworms but quickly spit them out. The fireworms
> were fairly large, 10-15cm long and the porgies in the lab were
> approximately 1/2 the size of those seen feeding on equally sized
fireworms
> in the field. I have plans for investigating this line of inquiry in the
> near future.
>
> Also, there are a couple of videos on you tube posted by home aquarium
> owners, which show a goby and a crab eating fireworms in captivity.
>
>
[1]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aObk9qHHeyk&feature=PlayList&p=A9137812A2E
> 4E9D4&index=2 The species of crab is not stated and whether or not the
worm
> is alive while being eaten is unclear..but I think I can see bristling
when
> the crab pinches.
>
>
[2]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AST_YVQtdzQ&feature=PlayList&p=A9137812A2E
> 4E9D4&index=3This fish species is unfamiliar to meâ¦Pacific?
>
> Amber--
>
>References
>
> 1.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aObk9qHHeyk&feature=PlayList&p=A9137812A2E4E9
D4&index=2
> 2.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AST_YVQtdzQ&feature=PlayList&p=A9137812A2E4E9
D4&index=3
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Steve LeGore, Ph.D.
LeGore Environmental Associates, Inc.
2804 Gulf Drive N.
Holmes Beach, Florida 34217 USA
Tel: 941/778-4650
Fax: 941/778-4761
Cell: 941/447-8010
GMT + 4 hrs
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