Abstract
The presence of predators (excluding starfishes) of disk abalone, Haliotis discus hannai was directly investigated by nine SCUBA divings during February-December 2014 at the coastal areas of Yangjeong, Jukjin and Bongpyeong, Uljin, Korea, where the young disk abalone seedlings were artificially released. The results revealed that a total of six individuals of Neptunea cumingii that were feeding on the young disk abalone were observed within the water depth 10m at the coastal area of Jukjin, of which bottom substrate consists of the relatively high composition rate of rocks (60.3%). Though N. cumingii is well known as a carnivorous predator of diverse marine invertebrates such as live mussels (Mytilus spp.) it is the first report that this predator also feeds on the disk abalones. Thus, our results strongly suggest that the future artificial release projects around Korean coasts necessitate extermination works of predators including newly observed N. cumingii in this study as well as previously known starfishes prior to the releases of young Pacific abalone seedlings.
어린 북방전복 (Haliotis discus hannai) 에 대한 포식자 (불가사리류 제외) 의 존재 여부를 확인하고자 경북 울진 연안 3개 해역 (양정, 죽진 및 봉평)에서 SCUBA diving을 이용하여 2014년 2월부터 12월까지 총 9회에 걸친 직접 관찰 조사를 수행하였다. 조사 결과 수심 10 m 이내 (최대 15 m)의 해역에서 상대적 암반 구성 비율이 가장 높은 죽진 해역 (60.3%)에서 어린 북방전복을 포식하고 있는 총 6개체의 갈색띠매물고둥 (Neptunea cumingii)이 발견되었다. 따라서, 본 연구결과는 갈색띠매물고둥이 어린 북방전복에 대한 포식자라는 새로운 사실을 제시하고 있다.