Sanjuan Hernández Claudia, Curini-Galletti Marco, Monnens Marlies, Artois Tom, Diez Yander L
Universidad de Oriente, Biology & Geography Department, Ave. Patricio Lumumba s/n, CP 90500, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba Universidad de Oriente, Biology & Geography Department, Ave. Patricio Lumumba s/n, CP 90500 Santiago de Cuba Cuba.
Hasselt University, Centre for Environmental Sciences, Research Group Zoology: Biodiversity and Toxicology, Universitaire Campus Gebouw D, B-3590, Diepenbeek, Belgium Hasselt University, Centre for Environmental Sciences, Research Group Zoology: Biodiversity and Toxicology, Universitaire Campus Gebouw D, B-3590 Diepenbeek Belgium.
Biodivers Data J. 2024 May 13;12:e116039. doi: 10.3897/BDJ.12.e116039. eCollection 2024.
Microturbellarian flatworms comprise a diverse assemblage amongst meiofauna. These animals primarily exhibit carnivorous feeding habits, preying on various organisms, such as crustaceans, annelids and even other microturbellarians. However, details of their diet are poorly known. This study represents the first documentation of a proseriate preying upon a rhabdocoel. The proseriate was extracted from the sediment and studied alive. Within its digestive tract, structures of the reproductive systems of its prey were observed and identified as belonging to , a predatory turbellarian as well. No remains of any other organisms were detected. This finding underscores the relevance of Proseriata as top-level predators within the meiofaunal trophic web, a role that warrants further consideration beyond what has been previously acknowledged.
微小涡虫扁形虫是小型动物群落中种类多样的一个群体。这些动物主要表现出肉食性的摄食习性，捕食各种生物，如甲壳类动物、环节动物，甚至其他微小涡虫。然而，它们的饮食细节却鲜为人知。本研究首次记录了一种原肠虫捕食一种杆肠虫的情况。这种原肠虫是从沉积物中提取出来并进行活体研究的。在其消化道内，观察到其猎物的生殖系统结构，并确定其也属于一种捕食性涡虫。未检测到任何其他生物的残骸。这一发现强调了原肠虫在小型动物营养网中作为顶级捕食者的重要性，这一角色值得在以往认识的基础上进一步深入探讨。
