Abstract.Octopus vulgarisconsumes at least 22 molluscan and several crab species in the Mediterranean off the coast of France. Collections of prey discards in octopus middens and in areas inhabited by octopuses revealed that molluscs comprise an estimated 80 of theO. vulgurisdiet. Octopus predation is probably an important source of mortality for many of these prey species, causing up to 60of the mortality within the size ranges sampled.O. vulgarisdoes not selectively consume particular sizes of its three most important prey species, the bivalvesPilaria chioneandVenus verrucosaand the abaloneHaliotis tuberculata.Analysis of octopus drill holes on the two bivalve species showed that their locations were nonrandom, whereas the distribution of drill holes in the abalone was not distinguishable from random.
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