Remipedes

Behaviour and diet

Remipedes swim freely in the water column; their limbs beat continuously, even during the periods of rest. They can either perform horizontal swimming with the ventral side up, though less commonly, horizontal swimming with the dorsal side up is observed when near the bottom of the water or near a rock surface; vertical swimming with the head pointing upward is also seen. Remipedes can feed on living prey such as Artemia brine shrimp, using their powerful cephalic limbs to catch and shake the prey while stabbing it with their venomous maxillules. However, predation does not appear to be the main method of feeding, with filter-feeding being an important part of their diet; the ceaselessly flapping small antennae are probably used to direct small particles toward the mouth. Remipedes were observed grooming themselves with their prehensile cephalic limbs near the bottom of the water in the laboratory.