The predatory behaviour of Monopelopia tenuicalcar (Kieffer 1918) larvae in a laboratory experiment

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00216224%3A14310%2F18%3A00118711" target="_blank" >RIV/00216224:14310/18:00118711 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.4081/jlimnol.2018.1792" target="_blank" >http://dx.doi.org/10.4081/jlimnol.2018.1792</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.4081/jlimnol.2018.1792" target="_blank" >10.4081/jlimnol.2018.1792</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

The predatory behaviour of Monopelopia tenuicalcar (Kieffer 1918) larvae in a laboratory experiment

Original language description

Larvae of the subfamily Tanypodinae are in general regarded as predators. Actual predation has been observed directly in only a few Tanypodinae species, but their behaviour and mouthpart morphology suggest that all Tanypodinae ingest food in the same way and thus are all predators. This view is reflected in most autecological databases. There remains uncertainty for some species, most notably for Monopelopia tenuicalcar (Kieffer, 1918). The uncertainty stems from the lack of direct observations, while gut content analysis points to non-animal food sources. A laboratory experiment was carried out in which larvae of Corynoneura sp. were offered to M. tenuicalcar in a set of Petri dishes. All predator and prey larvae were collected from the same locality, where they were the most abundant members of early spring littoral community. M. tenuicalcar showed clear predatory behaviour. In most cases (84 out of 86) the predator larva pierced the larva of Corynoneura and sucked its inner body content instead of engulfing it. Only in two cases did the predator engulf the whole victim. In all cases the seizing and processing of the prey was the same, with the ingestion of the food carried out by strong sucking. Obviously, if the chitinous structures of the prey fit the mouth opening of the predator, it was engulfed completely, otherwise the prey larva's internal contents were just sucked out. A video of the exceptional case of engulfing the whole prey is available at https://youtu.be/o6-8dA1XDy0. The strategy of sucking out prey may explain why body remnants like head capsules or claws of prey have not been found in the guts of Monopelopia larvae. Instead, the guts of Monopelopia larvae that pierced Corynoneura were green as they were full of algae "stolen" from the intestines of the grazing victims. Piercing and sucking out prey by Tanypodinae may be more common than has been expected before. Due to this, gut content analysis seems to be unreliable for the determination of feeding strategy in Tanypodinae.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

D - Article in proceedings

CEP classification

—

OECD FORD branch

10501 - Hydrology

Project

<a href="/en/project/GA16-03881S" target="_blank" >GA16-03881S: The coexistence of aquatic invertebrates in spring fens: the role of abiotic heterogeneity and biotic interactions at regional and local scale</a><br>

Continuities

P - Projekt vyzkumu a vyvoje financovany z verejnych zdroju (s odkazem do CEP)<br>I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2018

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Article name in the collection

20th International Symposium on Chironomidae

ISBN

—

ISSN

1129-5767

e-ISSN

1723-8633

Number of pages

7

Pages from-to

88-94

Publisher name

PAGEPRESS PUBL

Place of publication

Pavia

Event location

Trento

Event date

Jul 2, 2017

Type of event by nationality

WRD - Celosvětová akce

UT code for WoS article

000453842300012