Evidence of Predation on the Rugose CoralCalceola sandalina(Devonian, Czech Republic)

Abstract

A specimen of Calceola sandalina (Linné 1771) from the Givetian of the Czech Republic shows severe injury on its right side when observed from its cardinal side. Approximately onehalf of the counter side is missing between the counter septum and the alar corallite angle. The injury is healed within the calice, as visible also on deformed septa close to injury, while the outer flat ventral side shows no signs of healing. The operculum is not preserved but the damage clearly must have affected it. It is difficult to envision how such damage might have occurred by abiotic means in a rather low-energy environment without the influx of grains larger than silt. We consider the injury a result of attack by a predator. When speculating on the animal capable of producing such injury, one must consider preferably a vertebrate with strong jaws: fish-like animals capable of durophagy (placoderms and chondrichthyans) appeared in the Devonian.

The First Occurrence of the Devonian Rugose Coral Calceola Sandalina (Linné, 1771) in the Barrandian Area, Czech Republic

“…Givetian outside the Barrandian area. The nearest present occurrence of Calceola sandalina outside of the Barrandian found in the late Eifelian and Givetian of Moravia (Richter, 1928;Špinar, 1951;Strnad, 1960;Galle, 1995;Galle & Ficner, 2004;Galle & Mikuláš, 2003) and the Givetian of Poland (Pajchlowa, 1957;Stolarski, 1993;Malec, 2005;Malec & Turnau, 1997). Modern revision and comments to new occurrences were given by Wright (2010) and Wright et al (2010).…”

Palaeoecology of solitary corals in soft-substrate habitats: the example of Cunnolites (upper Santonian, Eastern Alps)

“…Solitary corals in low‐energy, soft‐substrate depositional environments were subject to predator attack – probably by fish – since at least the Devonian (cf. Galle & Mikulas 2003). After the Permian–Triassic extinction, durophagous fish became widespread again since the start of the Late Triassic.…”

“…At least for densely pitted Cunnolites , it is probable that such intense predator attack killed the coral. Conversely, many corals both fossil (Galle & Mikulas 2003) and recent are known to recover even from severe damage by predator attack (Barnes & Hughes 1988; Miller & Hay 1998). Thus, pitted Cunnolites with distinct overgrowth margins may result not only from smothering by sediment, but also from regrowth after predator attack.…”

Estado del conocimiento de la durofagia en el registro fósil: interacción depredador-presa en moluscos marinos (Clases Gastropoda y Bivalvia)

“…La depredación durófaga ha sido tema de investigación en gran variedad de invertebrados fósiles y recientes, dentro de los que se encuentran los cnidarios 13 , conuláridos 14 , serpúlidos 15 , braquiópodos 16 , equinodermos 17 , moluscos 18 y artrópodos 19 ; sin embargo, la mayoría de la literatura sobre durofagia se ha centrado en el estudio de la depredación de corales recientes por parte de peces 20 .…”