Prudkovsky A.A. 2012. [Life cycle and feeding of Bougainvillia superciliaris (L. Agassiz, 1849) (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa: Filifera) in the White Sea] // Invertebrate Zoology. Vol.9. No.2: 71–90 [in Russian, with English summary].
Moscow State University, Faculty of Biology, 1-12 Leninskie Gory, 119991, Moscow, Russia. E-mail: aprudkovsky@wsbs-msu.ru
doi: 10.15298/invertzool.09.2.01
KEY WORDS: Hydrozoa, Bougainvillia superciliaris, White Sea, feeding, life cycle.
ABSTRACT: The life cycle of Bougainvillia superciliaris (Hydrozoa: Cnidaria) in the White Sea was investigated by means of laboratory and field surveys. The peculiarities of medusae and hydroids in the White Sea were the same as compared with recent species description near the coast of Europe. The creeping colonies were observed in the sublittoral zone all the year. There was a variety of zooplankton preys in the stomachs of medusae and polyps in the Sea. The early polyps can ingest only a small prey. But the mature polyps had a broad prey composition in the stomachs and predated both zooplankton and bottom preys. Medusae had a broad prey composition in the stomachs too but caught only zooplankton preys. A prey selection index “C” was positive and significant for barnacle nauplii and copepods Microsetella norvegica. In experiments medusae caught crustaceans mainly. Medusae buds appeared in the spring under the ice. The spawning of medusae occured in June when the temperature in the Sea is 10–12 °C. We discuss the life cycle of B. superciliaris as compared with temperature and food supply in the White Sea.