The Feeding Habits of the Galatheidea

Abstract

The Galatheidea are divided into two families, the Galatheidæ and the Porcellanidæ, which differ from each other in their feeding habits as well as their structure.Galathea dispersa has been taken as typical of the Galatheidæ. An examination of the gut contents shows that the food in the stomach consists of finely divided particles mixed with sand and detritus. In addition larger pieces of animal and vegetable matter are occasionally found. Observations of the animals in captivity show that they feed by two methods; either large pieces of food are seized by the chelæ and maxillipeds and passed to the mandibles or, as is more usual, the third maxillipeds are used to collect finely divided material from the substratum.The setæ on the terminal segments of the maxillipeds form a dense tuft which sweeps over the substratum, loosening and collecting small particles. The terminal tufts are cleaned out by the setse of the second maxillipeds, and the food passed to the mouth.