Evidence of corallivory by the keyhole limpet Diodora galeata

• DOI: 10.1007/s00338-012-0877-0
• Publication Date: 2012-02-04T14:23:10Z
• Authors: J. S. Stella
• Keywords: Limpet; Detritus

[Extract] A number of gastropod species are known to associate with live coral, depending on the coral as a source of food (Robertson 1970). Diodora galeata (Helbling 1779) is a small limpet (up to 20 mm in length; Fig. 1a) belonging to the family Fissurellidae (keyhole limpets). Although mainly herbivorous, grazing on micro-algae, some fissurellids have also been observed to graze on sponges and detritus (Fretter and Graham 1976). However, little is known about the ecology of this family.