Diets of four deep-water scaphopod species (Mollusca) in the North Atlantic and the Nordic Seas

摘要: The buccal pouch contents of four deep-water scaphopod (Mollusca) species, Pulsellum affine, teres, Siphonodentalium lobatum and Polyschides olivi, collected in the North Atlantic Nordic Seas, were examined. pouches examined species contained almost exclusively foraminifers, which agrees with previous studies on shallow scaphopods. scaphopods seemed to be engulfing at least some most common foraminifer are distributed cold waters Seas or temperate northernmost part Atlantic. About half food (30 species) occurred only one nearly always very low numbers, an unimportant source. remaining more frequent two species. A similarity tree was calculated parsimony presence–absence coding This resulted tree: 100%{P. teres 79%[P. affine 70%(P. olivi P. lobatum)]}, when branch support measured percentage jackknife stability. general trend found towards larger items being consumed by indicated positive correlation between size It is suggested that microdistribution foraminifers large individual may important factors avoiding predation