Reproductive cycle and energetic cost of reproduction of the neogastropod Buccinum undatum in the Irish Sea
Kideys, A.; Nash, R.D.M.; Hartnoll, R.G. (1993). Reproductive cycle and energetic cost of reproduction of the neogastropod Buccinum undatum in the Irish Sea. J. Mar. Biol. Ass. U.K. 73(2): 391-403. https://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s002531540003294x In: Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. Cambridge University Press/Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom: Cambridge. ISSN 0025-3154; e-ISSN 1469-7769, more |  |
| Keyword | Buccinum undatum Linnaeus, 1758 [WoRMS]
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| Authors | | Top | - Kideys, A., more
- Nash, R.D.M.
- Hartnoll, R.G.
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| Abstract | The annual reproductive cycle and cost of reproduction of the common whelk, Buccinum undatum L. (Gastropoda: Prosobranchia) were studied off Douglas, south-east of the Isle of Man. Sexual maturity was reached at 60–70 mm shell length. Two years of laboratory observation and field data indicated an autumn to mid-winter breeding season. Egg-laying occurred in the laboratory mainly between December and January, and hatching of juveniles between April and early May, 3–5 months after spawning. The cycles of testis and ovary development were very similar, especially during the breeding period. The annual energy invested in reproduction was estimated to be at least 4.1 kj m-2. The investment by females (3.84 kj m-2 y-1) was much greater than by males (0.26 kj m-2 y-1). |
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