Protandric hermaphroditism in the bivalve Arca noae (Mollusca: Arcidae)

PDF (English)
Publiée : Feb 21, 2013
DOI : https://doi.org/10.12681/mms.326
G. BELLO
Department of Animal Production, University of Bari Aldo Moro, S.P. per Casamassima km 3, 70010 Valenzano (BA), Italy
P. PAPARELLA
Servizio Ambiente, Provincia di Bari, Corso Sonnino 85, 70121 Bari, Italy
A. CORRIERO
Department of Animal Production, University of Bari Aldo Moro, S.P. per Casamassima km 3, 70010 Valenzano (BA), Italy
N. SANTAMARIA
Department of Animal Production, University of Bari Aldo Moro, S.P. per Casamassima km 3, 70010 Valenzano (BA), Italy
Résumé

Following the histological analysis of Arca noae samples from the south-western Adriatic Sea, five hermaphroditic specimens were found out of 168 sexed individuals (3.0%). The hermaphrodite gonads showed the co-occurrence of male and female germ cells within the same acini, i.e. both spermatozoa in the lumen and oogonia lining its wall. Oogonia increased in size through winter, thus suggesting that the direction of sex change is from male to female. Both the biometrical analyses and theoretical considerations strongly suggest that A. noae is an obligate protandric species.

Article Details
  • Rubrique
  • Research Article

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g. post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (preferably in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
Téléchargements
Les données relatives au téléchargement ne sont pas encore disponibles.