Predation of green sea urchin larvae Lytechinus variegatus by Metanophrys sp.
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https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2892-5916
Vasti García-Gómez
Karina Hierro-Santos
Nabab Feliz-Feliz
Argenis Solano
Abstract
In this comunication, the commensal status between Metanophrys sp. and L. variegatus is refused due to the predatory behavior of the ciliate against the echinoid larvae. For this work, the sea urchins were placed on bottles filled with 1 l of sterilized seawater, destined for spawning to obtain the gametes with the oral part up. An injection of 5 ml of KCl was applied to the coelom. A total of 32 sea urchins was sampled to complete 30 bottles with both gametes types. After an hour of fertilization, the presence of Metanophrys sp. was found in some bottles. After 72 hours, 24 of the 30 bottles had ciliates with a ratio of approximately 25 individuals by larva, observing predation by Metanophrys sp. to the larvae. Due to the predatory behavior of Metanophrys sp. against L. variegatus larvae, concerning the ecology of the species they should not be considered as commensal.
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echinoid, feeding, larvae, ciliates, commensalism
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