PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATIONS OF THE ECOLOGY OF THE INTERTIDAL PREDATORY GASTROPOD LEPSIELLA VINOSA (LAMARCK) (GASTROPODA MURICIDAE)

Lepsiella vinosa\ (Lamarck), a common intertidal predatory gastropod,was studied in two zones on an exposed rocky shore in Victoria(Australia). Those from the Mussel Zone in the mid-shore primarilyate one species of mussel and had a faster rate of energy consumptionthan those from the Littorinid Zone in the high-shore, whichmainly ate one species of littorinid gastropod. Shell length,growth rate and size-specific body weight of L. vinosa wereall significantly greater in the Mussel Zone. Egg capsules ofL. vinosa from the Mussel Zone contained significantly moreeggs and more potential hatchlings per capsule than those fromthe Littorinid Zone although there were no significant differencesin the sizes of eggs or hatchlings between zones. These differencesbetween the two zones were correlated to the greater consumptionof energy by L. vinosa in the Mussel Zone and were discussedin relation to the absence of dispersive larvae in this species ¹Present address: Department of Zoology, Monash University,Clayton, Victoria, 3168, Australia ²Present address: School of Biological Sciences, Carslaw Building,F07, University of Sydney, N.S.W., 2006, Australia. Addresseefor reprints. (Received 2 June 1987;