Abstract
The effect of salinity on embryonic development ofSepia officinalis (cuttlefish) in the Delta Area (South Western part of The Netherlands) was investigated in 1988/1989, and compared with data concerning the distribution ofS. officinalis in the three main parts of this area: Oosterschelde, Westerschelde and Grevelingen. Embryos hatched in water collected at Yerseke (Oosterschelde), Vlissingen (Western part of the Westerschelde) and Bommenede (Grevelingen), i.e., at salinity values above 28.1‰, but not in water sampled at Hoedekenskerke and Hansweert (Middle and Eastern part of the Westerschelde; salinities below 22.0‰). Under laboratory conditions, using diluted Oosterschelde water, the highest hatching percentages ofS. officinalis were found at salinities above 29.8‰. Some embryos hatched at a salinity value of 26.5‰ but no hatching occurred at salinities below 23.9‰. In embryos exposed to salinity changes during late embryonic development, the developmental rate decreased at salinity values of 28.7‰ or less. Below 22.4‰ embryos with morphological malformations were found. It can be concluded that salinity is an important factor limiting the distribution ofS. officinalis in most parts of the Delta Area, with the exception of the Western part of the Westerschelde and the Grevelingen.
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Communicated by T. Fenchel, Helsingør
Contribution no. 489 of the Library of the Delta Institute for Hydrobiological Research
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Paulij, W.P., Bogaards, R.H. & Denucé, J.M. Influence of salinity on embryonic development and the distribution ofSepia officinalis in the Delta Area (South Western part of The Netherlands). Mar. Biol. 107, 17–23 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01313238
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01313238