Coral tissue mortality of the coral Cladocora caespitosa caused by gastropod Coralliophila meyendorffi in the Mljet National Park (eastern Adriatic Sea)

• Published in: Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2013-12, Vol.93 (8), p.2101-2108
• Main Authors: Kružić, Petar, Sršen, Pavica, Cetinić, Katarina, Zavodnik, Dušan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Bottom currents; Calcium carbonate; Cladocora caespitosa; Cnidaria. Ctenaria; Coral reefs; Coralliophila; Coralliophilidae; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gastropoda; Invertebrates; Lakes; Marine; Mollusca; Mollusks; Mortality; National parks; Outbreaks; Predation; Sea water ecosystems; Synecology
• ISSN: 0025-3154; 1469-7769
• DOI: 10.1017/S0025315413000878

The corallivorous gastropod Coralliophila meyendorffi (family Coralliophilidae) is a well-known predator of the coral Cladocora caespitosa, particularly in the eastern Adriatic Sea, where population outbreaks can drastically reduce coral cover. Coralliophila meyendorffi ranges in size from 5 to 40 mm in shell total length, and smaller specimens are often found living with the coral C. caespitosa. Specimens of C. meyendorffi feed exclusively on live coral tissue, stripping it from the calcium carbonate skeleton. Recent outbreaks of the gastropod C. meyendorffi have caused considerable damage on a C. caespitosa bank in Veliko Jezero (the Mljet National Park, eastern Adriatic Sea). The bank occurs at depths between 6 and 18 m, covering a 65  m2 area. During summer of 2010, a substantial outbreak affected about 5%t of the coral colonies. The gastropods were highly aggregated in sheltered areas of the coral bank (up to 41 specimens/dm2) with smaller clusters (from 8 to 12 specimens/dm2) on coral colonies that were influenced by strong bottom currents (up to 1.23 ms−1).