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On the reproduction of the Mediterranean keystone limpet Patella rustica: histological overview

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 July 2014

Ivana Prusina ,
Daria Ezgeta-Balić ,
Stijepo Ljubimir ,
Tatjana Dobroslavić  and
Branko Glamuzina
Ivana Prusina*
Affiliation:
Department of Aquaculture, University of Dubrovnik, Ćira Carića 4, 20000Dubrovnik, Croatia
Daria Ezgeta-Balić
Affiliation:
Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Šetalište Ivana Meštrovića 63, 21000 Split, Croatia
Stijepo Ljubimir
Affiliation:
Institute for Marine and Coastal Research, University of Dubrovnik, Kneza Damjana Jude 12, 20000 Dubrovnik, Croatia
Tatjana Dobroslavić
Affiliation:
Department of Aquaculture, University of Dubrovnik, Ćira Carića 4, 20000Dubrovnik, Croatia
Branko Glamuzina
Affiliation:
Department of Aquaculture, University of Dubrovnik, Ćira Carića 4, 20000Dubrovnik, Croatia
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: I. Prusina, Department of Aquaculture, University of Dubrovnik, Ćira Carića 4, 20000 Dubrovnik, Croatia email: ivana.prusina@unidu.hr
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Abstract

The reproductive cycle of the high shore limpet Patella rustica is described based on histological analysis as the primary method of staging gonad development. Sex-ratios, shell length at sexual maturity, gonad developmental stages, mean gonad index and oocyte size were investigated. Males and females were found to differ in size distribution, with females becoming more prevalent from ~28 mm onwards. The estimated shell length at which 50% of males were sexually mature was 13.1 mm. Patella rustica has only one reproductive cycle per year with a spawning peak between November and December for both sexes, and gonad redevelopment from January. First data on the size–frequency analysis of oocytes for this species are also presented, concurring with the qualitative analysis of the gonad developmental stages. This study presents updated information on the reproductive cycle of this keystone species and provides the first account of the reproductive biology of P. rustica in the Adriatic Sea.

Keywords

Patella rusticareproductiongonad histologyoocyte sizesexual maturityAdriatic Sea
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 94 , Issue 8 , December 2014 , pp. 1651 - 1660
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2014 

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