Ecology of Conus on eastern Indian Ocean fringing reefs: Diversity of species and resource utilization

Kohn, Alan J.; Nybakken, James

doi:10.1007/bf00391848

Cited by 107 publications

(89 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…1), many of which attain a maximum length of only a few millimeters. Shifts in prey species composition with increasing size of Conus is known in the few species studied over a considerable range of body size, including C. ebraeus (Kohn and Nybakken, 1975;Kohn, 1978), and Nybakken (1990) associated dietary shifts generally with ontogenetic change in radular tooth form. Larger individuals of C. judaeus prey predominantly on Capitellidae (Table 3, App.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cryptic Species Differentiated in Conus ebraeus, a Widespread Tropical Marine Gastropod

Duda

Kohn

Matheny

2009

The Biological Bulletin

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Abstract.Anomalous mitochondrial and nuclear gene sequences in individuals of the widely distributed tropical marine gastropod Conus ebraeus that were not distinguishable by shell shape and color pattern characters suggested the presence of a second, cryptic species. We tested this hypothesis by genetic, morphological, and ecological comparisons of additional individuals from the site in Okinawa where the two forms co-occurred. Radular tooth size and shape, prey type in nature, and microhabitats utilized differed markedly between the two forms. Adults with typical C. ebraeus DNA and radular teeth preyed primarily on errant polychaetes (Eunicidae); those with anomalous DNA and teeth ate mainly sedentary capitellids. Juveniles (shell length Ͻ13 mm) had more similar teeth and ate primarily syllids. Radular teeth of the anomalous form agreed with those of Conus judaeus, distinguished from C. ebraeus by Rudolph Bergh in 1895 solely on tooth characters of one specimen from the Philippines. Samples from other widely scattered Pacific localities revealed only typical C. ebraeus gene sequences. Both forms occurred in Seychelles (western Indian Ocean), where their radular teeth and diets were consistent with the data from Okinawa, but DNA of available material was degraded. Although C. judaeus was long dismissed as an aberrant specimen and junior synonym of C. ebraeus, our results support its validity as a distinct species. These results highlight the importance of molecular and radular tooth characters relative to those of the shell. Moreover, cryptic species could well be important components of species richness in Conus specifically and marine molluscan biodiversity more generally.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cryptic Species Differentiated in Conus ebraeus, a Widespread Tropical Marine Gastropod

Duda

Kohn

Matheny

2009

The Biological Bulletin

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“…The phenomenon of animal group specificity of neurotoxins has been described for toxins from arthropod venoms (Zlotkin, 1987) and nemertine worm toxins (Kem, 1988). The rationale for the existence of such toxins in Conus venoms is based on the specificity of their feeding habits (Kohn and Nybakken, 1975) and the subsequent expected evolutionary pressure towards highly potent prey-specific neurotoxins. It is clear, however, that the pharmacological complexity of Conus venoms cannot be explained only in terms of a simple specific prey-directed paralytic strategy.…”

Section: Biological Activitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Conidae are a family of venomous marine snails which are divided according to their feeding ecology into piscivorous, molluscivorous and vermivorous species (Kohn and Nybakken, 1975). Piscivorous Conus venoms have been studied intensively and were found to contain small neurotoxic peptides named conotoxins, which exhibit high selectivity for defined receptor subtypes in target tissues.…”

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confidence: 99%

Mollusc‐specific toxins from the venom of Conus textile neovicarius

Fainzilber

Gordon

Hasson

et al. 1991

European Journal of Biochemistry

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Three peptide toxins exhibiting strong paralytic activity to molluscs, but with no paralytic effects on arthropods or vertebrates, were purified from the venom of the molluscivorous snail Conus textile neovicarius from the Red Sea. The amino acid sequences of these mollusc specific toxins are: TxIA, WCKQSGEMCNLLDQNCCDGYCIVLVCT (identical to the so called ‘King Kong peptide’); TxIB, WCKQSGEMCNVLDQNCCDGYCIVFVCT; TxIIA, WGGYSTYCγVDSγCCSDNCVRSYCT (γ=γ‐carboxyglutamate). There is a similarity of the Cys framework of these toxins to that of the ω‐conotoxins; however, their net negative charges, high content of hydrophobic residues and uneven number of Cys residues in TxIIA, are highly unusual for conotoxins. When assayed on isolated cultured Aplysia neurons, all three toxins induced membrane depolarization and spontaneous repetitive firing. The TxI toxins also induce a marked prolongation of the action potential duration, which is sodium dependent. These effects differ significantly from the blocking activities of piscivorous venom conotoxins. These mollusc specific conotoxins may therefore serve as new and selective probes for ion‐channel functions in molluscan neuronal systems.

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“…The cryptofauna are an important part of the reef food web. Cryptofaunal organisms are an important food source for certain reef carnivores, including fishes (Vivien and PeyrotClausade 1974), gastropod molluscs (Kohn and Nybakken 1975) and octopuses (Ambrose 1986).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Artificial crevice habitats to assess the biodiversity of vagile macro-cryptofauna of subtidal rocky reefs

Baronio

Bucher

2008

Mar. Freshwater Res.

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Abstract. Reef cryptofauna (animals inhabiting cracks and crevices) represent much of a reef 's biodiversity yet are seldom studied owing to their inaccessibility. Subtidal rocky reefs off Brunswick Heads and Byron Bay in northern New South Wales, Australia support benthic communities ranging from coral-dominated offshore reefs to kelp beds of Ecklonia radiata on inshore reefs. It was hypothesised that differential exposure to river discharge and the East Australian Current, as well as proximity to other reef habitats, may produce differences in recruitment and persistence of cryptofauna between superficially similar reefs within a small geographical range. Artificial crevice habitats were deployed at similar depths on three inshore reefs supporting similar Ecklonia densities. Although the species richness of crevice fauna was similar at all reefs, the species composition differed significantly along with the assemblages recruited in different seasons and to different crevice sizes. Neither reef faunas nor that of varying crevice sizes changed consistently with the seasons, yet all crevices appeared equally accessible to colonists. These results demonstrate the potential inadequacy of classifying reef communities for management of regional biodiversity based on the visual dominance of a few species that may not be as sensitive to environmental variables as many of the less obvious taxa.

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Ecology of Conus on eastern Indian Ocean fringing reefs: Diversity of species and resource utilization

Cited by 107 publications

References 17 publications

Cryptic Species Differentiated in Conus ebraeus, a Widespread Tropical Marine Gastropod

Cryptic Species Differentiated in Conus ebraeus, a Widespread Tropical Marine Gastropod

Mollusc‐specific toxins from the venom of Conus textile neovicarius

Artificial crevice habitats to assess the biodiversity of vagile macro-cryptofauna of subtidal rocky reefs

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