Food & Feeding Habits of <i>Nephtys oligobranchia</i> Southern (Annelida: Polychaeta)

Abstract

Detailed analysis of the gut contents of N. oligobranchia is strongly suggestive of its carnivorous diet. Comparison of the density of N. oligobranchia inhabiting the Vasishta Godavari Estuary on the east coast of India is made with that of other species of Nephtys inhabiting other comparable areas,as density of the populations of a species is generally related to its food and feeding habits. N. incisa, a sub-littoral species of Long Island Sound and Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, which is reported to feed on detritus is considered more an exception than a rule to this family.