Siphonophores eat fish larger than their stomachs

Abstract

We report a collection of the siphonophore Halistemma cupulifera, collected at 20 meters depth during a night SCUBA dive in the Sargasso Sea. One of its stomachs (gastrozooids) contained a leptocephalus larva of the eel Ariosoma sp. folded in thirds to fit, but 8.3. cm in length fully extended. This finding shows that in situ observations can reveal previously unknown trophic interactions that may be significant in a changing world ocean where gelatinous organisms seem to increase at the expense of fish