Cyphoma macumba Petuch 1979 (Gastropoda: Ovulidae): a versatile predator of the Brazilian Octocorallia

See PDF.] Cyphoma macumba (red arrows) predation on Muriceops sulphurea (a, b) and Plexaurella grandiflora (c, d) The single record of predation by C. macumba, until now, had been acquired at the Abrolhos Marine National Park, the largest and richest coral reef area in the South Atlantic Ocean. In the fishing area of the present record, C. macumba seems to prefer Plexauridae and although there is no specific information about the Brazilian snails’ predators, potential ones like Labridae, Balistidae, Diodontidae, Sparidae, and lobsters (Randall 1967; Burkepile and Hay 2007) are abundant in Abrolhos reefs since it was closed for fishing in 1983 (Sampaio, pers. obs.). Despite the low impact observed on Brazilian octocoral fauna, snails could cause mass mortality (Scharer and Nemeth 2010). [...]research should consider the effects of protected areas on benthic biota and the role played by small snails, as well as the impact of its feeding preferences, particularly on endemic octocorals.