gorgonacean species. 



amount of time spent traveling was estimated to less than VL of the time 

 spent on prey.) The destruction of a very small plexaurid gorgonacean 

 by Cyphoma and the usually negligible damage to large prey suggests 

 that predation may be far more important in reducing recruitment to 

 gorgonacean populations than in affecting survival of adults. 



The relative sizes and abundances of predator and prey, the recorded 

 feeding rates, and the observation that Cyphoma will often leave prey 

 relatively undamaged all suggest that Cyphoma lives in the midst of a 

 more- than- adequate food supply. The selectivity in choice of prey 

 exhibited by Cyphoma corroborates this conclusion (Ivlev, 1961; 

 Emlen, 1966; Rolling, 1966). In order to interpret the impact of 

 predation by Cyphoma on gorgonacean populations, we need data on the 

 recruitment of gorgonaceans and their growth rates. 



VI-64 



