BIOTIC Species Information for Philine aperta
Researched byEmily Wilson Data supplied byMarLIN
Refereed byThis information is not refereed.
General Biology
Growth formGlobose
Feeding methodPredator
Scavenger
Mobility/MovementCrawler
Environmental positionInfaunal
Typical food typesPectinaria koreni, Echinocyamus pusillus, foraminiferans, and small infaunal lamellibranchs and gastropods. HabitFree living
Bioturbator FlexibilityLow (10-45 degrees)
FragilityIntermediate SizeSmall-medium(3-10cm)
HeightInsufficient information Growth RateInsufficient information
Adult dispersal potential>10km DependencyIndependent
SociabilitySolitary
Toxic/Poisonous?
General Biology Additional Information
  • Philine aperta lives just beneath the surface of fine sediment. The species 'ploughs' through the sediment as it moves and should not really be considered as burrowing species.
  • Although the species has an internal shell, this is small relative to the total body size and there is therefore, some flexibility.
  • A scavenging habit was observed under laboratory conditions on freshly killed bivalves.
Biology References Hayward & Ryland, 1995b, Hayward et al., 1996, Fish & Fish, 1996, Thompson & Brown, 1976, Thompson, 1976, Lancaster, 1983,
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