Observations on the Food of Nephtys

Analyses of gut contents of Nephtys cirrosa and N. hombergi show these species to be carnivores. The density of both intertidal and sublittoral populations of these and other species and the organic content of soils in which they occur, as well as other factors, are all consistent with the view that Nephtys is usually a carnivore and not a non‐selective detritus feeder. Those sublittoral populations of N. incisa on the American Atlantic coast, which have been shown to feed on detritus are exceptional for the species and the family.