Marsden,-J.R.; Meeuwing,-J.  Preferences of planktotrophic 
	larvae of the tropical serpulid Spirobranchus giganteus  
	(Pallas) for exudates of corals from a Barbados reef.
	J.-EXP.-MAR.-BIOL.-ECOL. 1990. vol. 137, no. 2, pp. 95-
	104.

In this study planktonic larvae of S. giganteus  from the 
Barbados fringing reef were examined for preferences for six 
coral species not previously tested. Larvae were given a 
choice between a test coral, a reference coral (Montastrea 
cavernosa  Linnaeus) and a glass bead control. S. giganteus  
larvae are known to have no preference for M. cavernosa . 
Larvae showed a preference for Porites astreoides  Lamarck 
and Millepora complanata  Lamarck, two species of coral 
commonly colonised by S. giganteus , no preference for 
Siderastrea siderea  (Ellis et Solander), Dichocoenia 
stokesii  Edwards et Haime and Dendrogyra cylindrus  
Ehrenberg, three species that are rarely or never colonised 
and no preference for Agaricia agaricites  (Linnaeus), a 
coral whose role as a habitat for S. giganteus  is unknown. 
The possibility that preferences of planktonic larvae may 
influence their distribution at the time of settlement is 
discussed.