The triton (Charonia lampas; family Ranellidae) is a large, carnivorous, gonochoristic gastropod that inhabits the Mediterranean Sea and eastern Atlantic Ocean. Formerly abundant, many Charonia populations are on the decline, in some cases due to overharvesting. The early stages of the species’ reproductive biology are relatively understudied. C lampas females are known to deposit hundreds of eggs within individual capsules, which provide protection from ultraviolet radiation, stress (mechanical and osmotic), and predators. Throughout the entire period of embryonic development, the females remain on or near the aggregated masses of capsules, protecting and cleaning them. During egg-laying and brooding, which can last for weeks, captive females abstain from feeding (Acta Adriat 2016; https://bit.ly/422vvgn); however, it is unknown what occurs during these stages in wild settings.

While scuba diving off the Cíes Islands (northwestern Spain), we observed two C lampas individuals beside a cluster of capsules attached to a rock cleft. One, a female, was wiping the capsules while dozens of black brittle stars (Ophiocomina nigra) and a spiny starfish (Marthasterias glacialis) were huddled close by. This observation seems to indicate an interspecific association (presumably a mutualism): M glacialis and O nigra apparently feed on the detrital particles that C lampas wipes from the exterior of the capsules, while the gastropod, in turn, benefits from the reduction of unwanted organic material. However, this behavior could be potentially risky for the spiny starfish, given that M glacialis is one of the triton's preferred prey items (Boll Malacologico 1990; https://t.ly/MR8c). Why does the female triton, which has likely been starving for days, choose not to attack the starfish, and instead allow it to participate in the egg-tending operations? Likewise, how does the starfish know that the predatory gastropod will not attack? Apparently, at least in this instance, the gastropod's maternal care prevails over its other vital instincts.

海螈（Charonia lampas；Ranellidae 科）是一种大型、肉食性、雌雄同体的腹足动物，栖息在地中海和东大西洋。以前数量丰富的卡罗尼亚种群数量正在减少，在某些情况下是由于过度捕捞。该物种生殖生物学的早期阶段的研究相对较少。兰帕斯众所周知，雌性会在单个胶囊中产下数百个卵，这些卵可以提供免受紫外线辐射、压力（机械和渗透）和捕食者的保护。在整个胚胎发育期间，雌性都会留在聚集的胶囊上或附近，保护和清洁它们。在产卵和育雏期间（可持续数周），圈养雌性会停止进食（Acta Adriat 2016；https://bit.ly/422vvgn）；然而，尚不清楚在野生环境中这些阶段会发生什么。

当我们在西耶斯群岛（西班牙西北部）附近进行水肺潜水时，我们在附着在岩石裂缝上的一组胶囊旁边观察到了两只C lampas个体。其中一只雌性正在擦拭胶囊，数十只黑海星 ( Ophiocomina nigra ) 和一只刺海星 ( Marthasterias glacialis ) 挤在附近。这一观察结果似乎表明了一种种间关联（大概是一种互利共生）：M glacialis和O nigra显然以C lampas的碎屑颗粒为食。从胶囊外部擦拭，而腹足动物则受益于不需要的有机物质的减少。然而，这种行为对于刺海星来说可能存在潜在风险，因为冰海星是海卫一的首选猎物之一（Boll Malacologico 1990；https://t.ly/MR8c）。为什么可能已经挨饿了好几天的雌性海星选择不攻击海星，而是让其参与照顾卵的工作？同样，海星如何知道掠食性腹足动物不会攻击？显然，至少在这种情况下，腹足动物的母性关怀优先于其他重要的本能。