Morphometric analysis of the shell of the intertidal gastropod Echinolittorina lineolata (d'Orbigny, 1840) at different latitudes along the Brazilian coast

Abstract

Morphometric analysis is one of the tools widely used to quantify, analyse and describe the variations in the biological forms of animals. In this study, we examined the linear morphometric variations of the shell of the small intertidal gastropod Echinolittorina lineolata and compared the patterns to identify variations among populations and between sexes. The individuals were collected from latitudes 3°S, 14°S, 21°S and 23°S along the Brazilian coast. Traditional morphometric analysis was performed, and the morphometric variables of the shells, namely, the length and width of the shell and the length and width of the shell opening were obtained. The observed size pattern was influenced by latitude, as well as by local spatial responses to factors such as the substrate changing the morphometric variables of the snail. Of the morphometric variables, the length and the width of the shell were the most representative variables that influenced the gastropods in the different latitudes. These variables were also different in males and females, with females having larger shell lengths and widths across all latitudes.

The effect of extreme climatic events on littorinid snails in two estuarine environments, temperate (NW Spain) and tropical (NE Brazil)

“…Thus, tropical Littorinidae may be at risk in environments subject to extreme climatic events that cause desiccation stress (Marshall et al, 2018;Brahim et al, 2018). Differences in shell morphology or size and in survival of littorinids at different latitudes were also observed by Matos et al, (2020) for Echinolittorina lineolata (d'Orbigny, 1840) and Bosso et al, (2022) for L. saxatilis (Olivi, 1792).…”

Shell morphometric ratios as a tool for taxonomic determination in gastropods: a case study inNerita(Gastropoda, Neritidae)

“…Shell morphometrics approaches in gastropod molluscs are widely used because of their easy application and low cost (Chagas et al ., 2018; Barros et al ., 2020; Matos et al ., 2020). However, according to Doyle et al .…”

“…In gastropod molluscs, shell shape morphometrics is one of the most important methods for the identification of groups, in addition to establishing intraspecific variations, latitudinal variations and ecological relationships (Cruz et al ., 2012; Haumahu & Uneputty, 2018; Hamli et al ., 2020; Matos et al ., 2020). However, the study of shell shape ratios is poorly reported in the literature (Hamli et al ., 2020).…”

Morphometric study of Lola Rochia nilotica (Linnaeus 1767) shells from natural harvest found in Indonesian

“…Rochia nilotica comestibles turf algae, which have fast growth with a high turnover rate that can tolerate stress very well and the colonization of turf algae is by coral substrate and the environment of the reef (Sweirts and Vermeij 2016;Harvey et al 2021;De Carvalho and Villaça 2021). According to Matos et al (2020), the width of the shell appears larger if individuals have a larger foot, which provides higher adhesion to the substrate.…”