ANALYSIS OF GUT CONTENTS OF GOMPHIOCEPHALUS-HODGSONI CARPENTER (COLLEMBOLA, HYPOGASTRURIDAE) AT CAPE-GEOLOGY, ANTARCTICA

The diet of the collembolan Gomphiocephalus hodgsoni was investigated by microscopic examination of the contents of 197 faecal pellets and 3 2 guts collected at Cape Geology, Victoria Land, Antarctica. Animals c ame from nine contrasting microhabitats, ranging from mineral soils to bryophyte cushions. Thirty-two different types of ingested material w ere recognised. Detritus, filamentous cyanobacteria, eukaryotic microa lgae and fungal hyphae were the most frequent. There were marked contr asts between individuals collected from different microhabitats, which probably reflected food availability. There was some selectivity in t hat neither living moss tissue nor the macroscopic chlorophyte alga Pr asiola crispa was encountered in faeces or guts, despite their being a bundant in some microhabitats. A comparison of active and inactive ani mals showed the latter to have a significantly higher proportion of em pty guts and of guts containing fat globules.