Examining Flashing as a Potential Prey Lure in the ‘Disco’ Clam,<i>Ctenoides ales</i>

Dougherty, Lindsey F.; Niebergall, Alexandria K.; Meyer, K.E.

doi:10.4003/006.034.0213

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Certain phospholipids and carotenoids are found in higher concentrations in the noxious tissues, but both are generally non-noxious. The high levels of carotenoids are not surprising, as they are responsible for the tissues' bright coloration [13]. Other promising candidates for the noxious chemicals are peptides, as they were some of the most significant compounds differentiating noxious from non-noxious tissues.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Brightly coloured tissues in limid bivalves chemically deter predators

et al. 2019

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Members of the marine bivalve family Limidae are known for their bright appearance. In this study, their colourful tissues were examined as a defence mechanism towards predators. We showed that when attacked by the peacock mantis shrimp (Odontodactylus scyllarus), the ‘disco’ clam, Ctenoides ales, opened wide to expose brightly coloured tissues to the predator. The predator also significantly preferred to consume the internal, non-colourful clam tissues than the external, colourful tissues. Mass spectrometry-based metabolomic analysis confirmed that colourful tissues had significantly different chemical compositions than the non-colourful ones. The internal, non-colourful tissues had metabolite profiles more similar to an outgroup bivalve than to the species' own colourful external tissues. A number of the compounds that differentiated the colourful tissues from the non-colourful tissues appeared to be peptide-like, which potentially serve as the underlying defensive compounds. This is the first study demonstrating that colourful bivalve tissues are used for chemical defence.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In one species, the 'disco clam' Ctenoides ales [12], the bright coloration is augmented by a flashing display. Behavioural studies show that the rate of flashing increases significantly in the presence of predators [13]. This suggests that the flashing may augment coloration to aid in conspicuousness as an aposematic signal [14].…”

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Brightly coloured tissues in limid bivalves chemically deter predators

et al. 2019

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“…Since the flashing display of C. ales is not visible to conspecifics, other purposes for the flashing must be considered. Elaborate displays in nature are generally used for three purposes: (i) to attract conspecifics ( Beekman et al, 2016 ; Lange et al, 2013 ; O'Day, 1974 ), which was considered in this study; (ii) to lure prey items (light, color, or mimicry designed to attract food items) ( Hanlon and Messenger, 1996 ; Johnsen et al, 1999 ; O'Day, 1974 ; Shallenberger and Madden, 1973 ; Shimazaki and Nakaya, 2004 ), which was tested in a separate study ( Dougherty et al, 2016 ); or (iii) to communicate aposematism (warning coloration signaling distastefulness) ( Hanlon and Messenger, 1996 ; Williams et al, 2011 ). The significant increase in the flash rate of C. ales when an increase or decrease in light occurs, combined with the visibility of the flashing of C. ales to many of its potential predators ( Dougherty et al, 2014 ), suggest the flashing may function as a warning (aposematic) signal.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do you see what I see? Optical morphology and visual capability of ‘disco’ clams (Ctenoides ales)

et al. 2017

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The ‘disco’ clam Ctenoides ales (Finlay, 1927) is a marine bivalve that has a unique, vivid flashing display that is a result of light scattering by silica nanospheres and rapid mantle movement. The eyes of C. ales were examined to determine their visual capabilities and whether the clams can see the flashing of conspecifics. Similar to the congener C. scaber, C. ales exhibits an off-response (shadow reflex) and an on-response (light reflex). In field observations, a shadow caused a significant increase in flash rate from a mean of 3.9 Hz to 4.7 Hz (P=0.0016). In laboratory trials, a looming stimulus, which increased light intensity, caused a significant increase in flash rate from a median of 1.8 Hz to 2.2 Hz (P=0.0001). Morphological analysis of the eyes of C. ales revealed coarsely-packed photoreceptors lacking sophisticated structure, resulting in visual resolution that is likely too low to detect the flashing of conspecifics. As the eyes of C. ales are incapable of perceiving conspecific flashing, it is likely that their vision is instead used to detect predators.

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“…They are well-known to SCUBA divers [9] and shell collectors, and several charismatic species are routinely collected for the aquarium trade [10]. Numerous studies have been conducted on their behavior [11][12][13][14][15][16], morphology [17][18][19], habitat [20][21][22], reproduction [23,24], physiology [25], and vision [26][27][28][29][30][31]. However, systematics studies have only been done on a small number of species in this family [10,19,[32][33][34][35].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular Phylogeny and Morphological Distinctions of Two Popular Bivalves,Ctenoides scaberandCtenoides mitis

Dougherty

2017

Journal of Marine Biology

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One of the most well-known species in the bivalve family Limidae (d'Orbigny, 1846) is the brightly colored Ctenoides scaber (Born, 1778), commonly known as the rough file clam or flame scallop. Distinguishing this bivalve from its close relative, C. mitis (Lamarck, 1807), can be difficult using only morphological features and has led to much taxonomic confusion throughout the literature. In this study, morphological characters were compared to a molecular phylogeny constructed using three genes (COI, 28S, and H3) in order to differentiate C. scaber and C. mitis. The phylogeny recovered two well-supported clades that differ significantly in shell rib numbers, but not tentacle colors. The two species were then placed in a larger phylogenetic context of the Limidae family, which revealed the need for further systematic revision across genera. As these bivalves are popular in aquaria, cannot be tank-raised, and have been overcollected in the past, proper species identification is important for assessing sustainable collection practices.

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Examining Flashing as a Potential Prey Lure in the ‘Disco’ Clam,Ctenoides ales

Cited by 4 publications

References 47 publications

Brightly coloured tissues in limid bivalves chemically deter predators

Brightly coloured tissues in limid bivalves chemically deter predators

Do you see what I see? Optical morphology and visual capability of ‘disco’ clams (Ctenoides ales)

Molecular Phylogeny and Morphological Distinctions of Two Popular Bivalves,Ctenoides scaberandCtenoides mitis

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