Dear Colleagues,

All the observations I have lead me to agree with Bob
Lipe. I was once collecting in the Yucatan, and had a
small Codakia and a Prunum labiatum in my hand. The
Prunum started investigating the clam with its siphon,
and in the fastest movement I ever saw a gastropod
make (comparable to any cephalopod) it enveloped the
Codakia with the foot. And while dissecting a P.
guttatum I found a whole polychaete in the gut. And in
the gut content of Bullata lilacina I have found two
small radulae, one seemed to have belonged to an
nudibranch.

Patty, the reference I have for shell drilling in
marginellids are for Austroginella which has a
radulae, but drill holes seemed to be more chemical
than mechanical, so in the end you are right.

So I guess we can conclude that marginellids are bona
fide predators.

As to why they drag their prey, that is  a common
behavior in predators. I guess they do it to remove
the prey from where it was found to avoid other
predators.

Best wishes,

Paulino



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