CHEMICAL ATTRACTION OF NEWLY HATCHED OYSTER DRILLS

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Abstract
Newly hatched oyster drills, Urosalpinx cinerea (Say), that had not eaten prey and had no prior experience in prey detection, were used to screen 25 potential attractants. Of these, odors of intact, living barnacles, Semibalanus balanoides and Balanus eburneus were most effective, optimally causing upstream migration in over 90% of the snails and retaining detectable activity after 200 fold dilution. The odor of a mixed bryozoan culture evoked a 70% and Sabellaria vulgaris a 30% response; responses to Crassostrea virginica, oxyster valves containing Polydora websteri and Trypetesa lampas were low but still significant. Both rheotactic and chemotactic factors were involved in the upstream migration. Behavior reminiscent of trail search was observed in homogeneous dilute stimulus solutions. The odor stimuli may be discrete molecules.