The macrofauna associated with stranded wrack on a sandy shore in Japan

Abstract

We investigated the macrofauna associated with stranded wrack, and observed the foraging behavior of a predatory taxon, i.e. adult tiger beetles (Abroscelis anchoralis), on a sandy shore in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. Talitrid amphipods and Coleoptera (Hydrophilidae, Staphylinidae etc.) preponderantly colonized the stranded wrack. Half of the individuals in the macrofaunal community were juvenile (< 6 mm) talitrid amphipods, and A. anchoralis foraged for them preferentially. These results suggest a close relationship among stranded wrack-talitrid amphipods-tiger beetles at the study site.