Density, Sex Ratio, Size, Weight, and Recruitment of <i>Plicopurpura pansa</i> (Gastropoda: Muricidae) in Costa Chica, Guerrero, México

Abstract

Plicopurpura pansa is a cultural resource with economic importance since ink can be extracted from it to dye clothes. This snail inhabits the rocky intertidal zone of Mexican Pacific, is found attached to rocks in crevices and holes. The objective was to analyze the P. pansa population structure in Costa Chica of the State of Guerrero based in density, sex ratio, size and weight, besides to realize observations on mating and recruitment, for which quarterly sampling was made during an annual cycle in three beaches. The density was 4.83 snails/m 2. Sex ratio ranged from 0.76:1.00 to 1.00: 0.96 (F:M). Average size was 20.91 mm. The best represented sizes in females were from 10.5 to 28.5 mm and in males 13.5 to 28.5 mm. Averaged weight was 1.99 g, females showed a coefficient of variation in weight of 96.53%. Recruitment occurred for the entire year. In December 2006 and September 2007 a larger frequency of recruits was shown. Sex ratio showed a 1:1 tendency. Snail population was characterized by being small sized and in high densities. Weight variations in females were found related to their reproductive cycle.

Population structure and relative growth of rock snails Reishia bitubercularis (Gastropoda: Muricidae) from Ambon Island, Eastern Indonesia

“…Both Ambon Bay and Central Maluku showed only one peak in the size classes 26-28 mm and 30-32 mm, but SLfrequency distribution in Central Maluku was slightly flatter than that in Ambon Bay, due to the broad size range of individuals but in a few numbers of collected specimens. Similar patterns of shell length-frequencies were also found in other molluscs such as Strombus gigas from Jaragua, Dominica (Posada et al, 1999); Bolinus brandaris from northern Tunisia (Abidli et al, 2012); Cerastoderma glaucum from the Gabes coasts (Derbali et al, 2012); Plicopurpura pansa from Guerrero, México (Flores-Garza et al, 2012); Margarya melanioides from Kunming, China (Song et al, 2013); Conus spp. from Northern Red Sea (Zauner and Zuschin, 2016); and Rhinoclavis vertagus from Saparua Island, Maluku (Islami and Indrabudi, 2020).…”

Bromoperoxidase Producing Bacillus spp. Isolated from the Hypobranchial Glands of A Muricid Mollusc Are Capable of Tyrian Purple Precursor Biogenesis

“…Although 6,6′-dibromoindigo can be chemically synthesized [68,69,70] there is still a demand for the natural product. Targeting natural shellfish populations to supply the dye can place populations at risk—as demonstrated by the decline of the central American Muricidae Plicopurpura pansa populations—due to overharvesting [71]. Presently, P. pansa is considered a threatened species and is under special protection from the Mexican government [71].…”

“…Targeting natural shellfish populations to supply the dye can place populations at risk—as demonstrated by the decline of the central American Muricidae Plicopurpura pansa populations—due to overharvesting [71]. Presently, P. pansa is considered a threatened species and is under special protection from the Mexican government [71]. However, there has been a renewed interest in natural shellfish dyes, from the Jewish community [16].…”

Reproductive Cycle and Sexual Group Maturity of Buccinum osagawai (Neogastropoda: Buccinidae)

“…In Muricidae, the sex ratio (M:F) of Hexaplex trunculus from the tidal areas in the Gulf of Gabès of southern Tunisia has been measured at 1:1.6, showing a significant difference, and as individual size increased, the proportion of females tended to increase [26]. The overall sex ratio (F:M) of Plicopurpura pansa in one study was about 0.9:1, with the male proportion significantly higher and a tendency toward a 1:1 ratio as size increased [32]. The overall sex ratio (M:F) of Bolinus brandaris has been measured at 1:1.5, with the proportion of females higher; this sex ratio showed seasonal differences.…”