A molecular approach to identifying the prey of cephalopod

8 páginas, 2 figuras, 1 tablaA molecular method was developed to detect Artemia franciscana within Octopus vulgaris paralarvae, as a first step towards understanding the diet of octopus during this life stage. Wild eggs were collected from a spawning female in the Ría de Vigo (northwestern Spain) in late summer, and brought to the laboratory. After hatching, paralarvae were reared in 30 l rectangular tanks with an open seawater filtered system. Paralarvae were fed Artemia, then immediately fixed in 80% ethanol and preserved at −20°C. Primers specific to A. franciscana were designed for the gene cytochrome c oxidase subunit I. A nested polymerase chain reaction was necessary to detect A. franciscana within octopus paralarvae. This molecular method provides a new framework for resolving the diet of cephalopod paralarvae in the wild, essential for ecological understanding and increasing survival rates in aquacultureThe study was supported by the project CAIBEX (Spanish Ministry of Education and Science), and the first author by a JAE pre-doctoral grant (from CSIC)Peer reviewe