Ecology Summary - Limulus polyphemus
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Ekologin hos Limulus polyphemus
 
Main Ref. Biggers, C., 2005
Anmärkningar Lives in shallow waters, with sandy or muddy bottoms (Ref. 76). Found in intertidal and offshore areas (Ref. 1131). The horseshoe crab feeds at night on polychaete worms such as Cerebratulus, Nereis, and Cistenides (Ref. 76, 77), small mollusks, and seaweed (algae) found in the sandy ocean bottom (Ref. 76). Food is picked up by the chelicerae and passed back to the bristle bases, where it is "chewed." The food is then moved forward to the mouth (Ref. 75). It digs its food from sediments, grasping the prey with its legs. The prey is moved to the gnathobases where it is crushed before being pushed forward toward the mouth (Ref. 77). A life span of about 20 to 40 years (Ref. 78). Its predators are loggerhead turtles, pufferfish, leopard sharks and sea gulls (Ref. 82).

Aquatic zones / Water bodies

Marine - Neritic Marine - Oceanic Brackishwater Freshwater
Marine zones / Brackish and freshwater bodies
  • supra-littoral zone
  • littoral zone
  • sublittoral zone
  • epipelagic
  • mesopelagic
  • epipelagic
  • abyssopelagic
  • hadopelagic
  • Flodmynningar/laguner/bräckta havsområden
  • mangroves
  • marshes/swamps
  • rivers/streams
  • lakes/ponds
  • Grottor
  • uteslutande
Highighted items on the list are where Limulus polyphemus may be found.

Habitat

Substrate Benthic: mobile; Soft Bottom: sand; mud;
Substrate Ref.
Special habitats
Special habitats Ref.

Associations

Ref. Biggers, C., 2005
Associations
Associated with
Association remarks
Parasitism

Föda

Typ av föda mainly animals (troph. 2.8 and up)
Feeding type Ref. Biggers, C., 2005
Födosöksstrategi browsing on substrate
Feeding habit Ref. Shuster, C.N. Jr., 1982

Trophic Level(s)

Estimation method Ursprungligt prov Ofiskad population Kommentar
Troph s.e. Troph s.e.
Från födosammansättning
Från individuella födoämnen 2.95 0.30 Trophic level estimated from a number of food items using a randomized resampling routine.
Ref.
Ref. [ e.g. 3742]
Glossary [ e.g. cnidaria]
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