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Notes on Certain Aspects of the Biology of Cumopsis Goodsiri (Van Beneden) and Some Other Cumaceans in Relation to their Environment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 May 2009

Audrey Y. Dixon
Audrey Y. Dixon
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, University College,Aberystwyth
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Extract

The breathing, feeding, swimming, burrowing and cleaning habits of Cumopsis goodsiri are discussed.

Cumopsis has compact respiratory chambers. The inspiratory current enters each gill chamber posteriorly at the base of the third maxillipede, and the expiratory current leaves anteriorly through the siphons which pass through the pseudorostral chamber. The inspiratory current is filtered from all suspended particles by a sieve placed at the mouth of the respiratory funnel, which is formed by the depression of the third maxillipede away from the body. The size of the spaces in the mesh of this sieve probably determines the grade of the substratum in which the animal can live.

Cumopsis feeds on micro-organisms which it cleans off sand grains and other small objects. These are collected by the first peraeopods, held in position by the third maxillipedes, and cleaned by the first and second maxillipedes. The food is then passed on to the maxillae, maxillules and mandibles and finally enters the mouth. All these appendages are suitably armed to perform their respective functions.

Use is made of the last four pairs of peraeopods in burrowing and Cumopsis will only burrow into a sandy substratum. Swimming is accomplished in three different ways: (a) by flexures of the abdomen, (b) by paddle-like movements of the exopodite of the first peraeopod, and (c) in adult males by the abdominal pleopods.

The body is cleaned by the uropods. Their general rough surface and flexibility is very important. The uropod armature seems to add efficiency to the cleaning movements in the adult animals, particularly in the males.

The size of the soil particle is vitally important in the distribution of the Cumacea. It determines whether the animals breathe properly. There is also probably a close association between the soil grade and distribution of soil micro-organisms upon which they feed. As a result they refuse to burrow into a soil grade which is unfavourable.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 26 , Issue 1 , September 1944 , pp. 61 - 71
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 1944

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References

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