Quantification of Reproductive Effort and Microscopic Observation on the Larval Development of Manila clam Ruditapes philippinarum (Adams and Reeve, 1850)

Abstract

Larval development of the Manila clam Ruditapes philippinarum reared in an indoor tank system was examined in this study using light microscope and scanning electron microscope. To induce spawning and subsequent larval development, clams were collected from the intertidal zone at Gim-nyeong harbor in Jeju Island in August 2011. After 2 days of rearing in the tank, all Manila clams spawned in the midnight. Non-feeding trochophore larvae appeared 7hrsafter fertilization and the first D-shape larvae could be observed at 19 hrs. Twenty one days after fertilization the pediveliger larvae crawling on the bottom of the tank with well-developed foot were observed. Histology indicated that all the clams used in this study were in the ripe stage prior to spawning and the gonad-somatic index (GSI), a ratio of the egg mass to the tissue weight, of the ripe female measured by ELISA was 28.6%.The GSI of female clam declined to 17.3% after the massive spawning in the tank, suggesting that Manila clam discharged 40% of the total eggs during the first spawning event. In conclusion, spawning and subsequent larval development of Manila clam was successfully carried out in this study using an indoor tank system, and the information obtained in the present study could be useful in future Manila clam hatchery development.