Growth of the purple dye murex, <i>Bolinus brandaris</i> (Gastropoda: Muricidae), marked and released in a semi-intensive fish culture earthen pond

Abstract

SUMMARY: The present study reports the growth rate of the purple dye murex, Bolinus brandaris (Gastropoda: Muricidae), estimated from mark-recapture experiments. A total of 1067 specimens (shell length = 43.4±8.1 mm, range = 14.6−78.4 mm) were marked with Dymo ® tape tags and released in a semi-intensive fish culture earthen pond. After a period at liberty ranging from almost two months to around two years, 288 individuals were recaptured (shell length = 67.4±6.2 mm, range = 45.3−88.6 mm), which corresponded to a recapture rate of 27.0%. At recapture, only one specimen had lost the tag (tag loss rate <0.1%) and all remaining tags were intact and legible. Mean monthly growth rates were 0.9±1.0 mm in shell length, 0.4±0.5 mm in shell width and 0.7±0.7 g in total weight. Growth rates showed high inter-individual variability and an evident decreasing trend with specimen size. Comparison of growth rates with similar information available for other muricids confirmed that B. brandaris is a relatively slow-growing species. This provides valuable information for both fisheries management and for assessing the potential of B. brandaris as a candidate species for molluscan aquaculture.Keywords: purple dye murex, Bolinus brandaris, Gastropoda, Muricidae, mark-recapture, growth rate. RESUMEN: Crecimiento de la cañailla, Bolinus Brandaris (Gastropoda: Muricidae), mediante técnicas de marcado-recaptura realizadas en estanques de cultivo semiintensivo de peces. -Se ha estudiado el crecimiento de la cañailla Bolinus brandaris (Gastropoda: Muricidae) mediante técnicas de marcado-recaptura. Se marcaron un total de 1067 individuos (longitud concha = 43.4±8.1 mm, rango = 14.6−78.4 mm) con etiquetas plásticas Dymo, que fueron puestos en libertad en un estanque en tierra dedicado al cultivo semiintensivo de peces. En el plazo de tiempo comprendido entre dos meses y dos años, se recuperaron 288 ejemplares (longitud concha = 67.4±6.2 mm, rango = 45.3−88.6 mm), lo que corresponde a una tasa de recaptura del 27.0%. Las etiquetas permanecieron intactas y legibles en todos los ejemplares recuperados, a excepción de un único individuo (tasa de pérdida de marca <0.1%). La tasa de crecimiento media mensual estimada fue de 0.9±1.0 mm de longitud, 0.4±0.5 mm de anchura y 0.7±0.7 g de peso total. Esta tasa muestra una elevada variabilidad intraespecífica y una tendencia clara a la disminución con el aumento de la talla. Comparando las tasas de crecimiento obtenidas en este estudio con la información disponible sobre diversas especies de murícidos, se confirma que B. brandaris es un gasterópodo de crecimiento relativamente lento. Este estudio resulta de interés tanto para gestionar la pesca de este recurso como para evaluar el potencial de la especie como candidata a ser cultivada.

Reproductive cycle of Bolinus brandaris (Gastropoda: Muricidae) in the Ria Formosa lagoon (southern Portugal)

“…Indeed, previous pilot studies focused on establishing the technical and economical feasibility of rearing B. brandaris (e.g. Ramón & Flos 2001, Ramón et al 2005, Vasconcelos et al 2012. However, despite the efforts of some researchers to achieve spawning of B. brandaris in captivity, this task has proved unsuccessful until now.…”

“…Ease of capture, sedentary lifestyle, aggregation for breeding and spawning, deposition of collective spawns and intracapsular development (Ramón & Flos 2001, Vasconcelos et al 2008a, limit the potential of dispersal and intrinsic ability to quickly recolonise over-harvested areas. Life history characteristics of B. brandaris, such as relatively slow growth (Ramón & Flos 2001, Vasconcelos et al 2012) and first sexual maturity reached ~55 mm SL (K. Elhasni, pers. comm.)…”

Morphometric relationships and relative growth ofHexaplex trunculusandBolinus brandaris(Gastropoda: Muricidae) from the Ria Formosa lagoon (southern Portugal)

“…In general, the correlation coefficients of the morphometric relationships were slightly higher in the banded murex than in the purple dye murex, indicating greater morphological plasticity and higher variability in shell shape in B. brandaris compared with H. trunculus . Studies on the absolute growth revealed that both species display high inter-individual variability in growth rates, that extend from the embryonic, hatchling and juvenile stages (Vasconcelos et al , 2004; Lahbib et al , 2010) until the adult life phase (Vasconcelos et al , 2006c, 2012a, c), which might also induce variability in shell shape and relative growth of H. trunculus and B. brandaris . Higher variability in shell shape of B. brandaris compared with H. trunculus could also be due to the fact that shells of B. brandaris are thinner, weaker and more ornamented than those of H. trunculus , thus more fragile and susceptible to damage (especially in the siphonal canal and in the outer lip of the shell aperture), which might ultimately affect shell proportions and relative growth.…”

“…The present study reports data gathered and compiled in multidisciplinary tasks performed with H. trunculus and B. brandaris from the Ria Formosa lagoon (southern Portugal) (Figure 1) during several years, including experimental fishing surveys (Vasconcelos et al ., 2008a), marking-recapture-release experiments (Vasconcelos et al , 2006c, 2012c) and monthly biological sampling for diverse purposes (e.g. Vasconcelos et al , 2006a, b, 2007, 2008b, c, 2009, 2011, 2012b).…”

Cannibalism in Holocene muricid snails in the Beagle Channel, at the extreme southern tip of South America: an opportunistic response?

“…In muricids, intraspecific predation (cannibalism) has been shown to take place in living gastropods (e.g., Paine, 1966;Spanier, 1986;Rilov et al, 2004;Vasconcelos et al, 2012), although very little information is available for the snail T. geversianus. Osorio (2002) first reported cannibalism in T. geversianus under aquarium conditions, and more recently Cumplido et al (2011), studying the embryological development of this species, observed drilling attempts in a prehatching embryo of T. geversianus, thus also suggesting cannibalism.…”