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Age and growth in Odontocymbiola magellanica (Gastropoda: Volutidae) from Golfo Nuevo, Patagonia, Argentina

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Abstract

Growth, age and somatic production of the benthic predator Odontocymbiola magellanica were studied in Golfo Nuevo (42°S 65°W), on the South American Atlantic shelf. Stable oxygen isotope ratios confirmed semiannual formation of internal and external shell growth marks. Mean shell length (SL) of females was 115 and 112 mm for males, while population modal shell-free wet mass (SFWM) was 62.8 g. A Gompertz growth function (SL∞ = 200 mm, K = 0.197, t0 = 5.486) fitted 113 pairs of size-at-age data (12 shells) best. O. magellanica is a long-lived species, reaching up to 20 years of age. The maximum individual somatic production of 29.3 g SFWM per year is attained at 145 mm SL, which corresponds to about 12 years of age. The life span of this volutid seems to be twice compared with other large gastropods. O. magellanica is a valuable and exploitable resource regarding its large size and somatic production, but on the other hand, its slow growth, late maturity and direct development makes it extremely vulnerable to overexploitation.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the following persons: Victoria Zavattieri, Oscar Wheeler and Eugenia Zavattieri for invaluable assistance in sample collection; Andres Averbuj, Guido Pastorino and Carlos Sanchez Antelo for collaboration in the field; Fabián Tricárico for technical support in SEM pictures (MACN); Susana Valencio, INGEIS, for isotopes determination, Tobias Müshen for assistance in data analyses. Guillermina Cosulich and Gabriela Silvoni (INIDEP) provided literature. Thomas Brey, Geerat Vermeij and two anonymous reviewers kindly provided helpful comments improving the manuscript. Gregorio Bigatti is especially grateful to CONICET fellowship, Conchologist of America Research Grant 2003, UNITAS Malacologica Award 2003 and Lerner Gray Grant 2004 (AMNH). This work was partially supported by PICT 10975, PIP 5301 and PNUD ARG/02/018 Subproyecto AC−56.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. MACN-CONICET & Lab.19 Invertebrados I, Depto. Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas & Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Pab II, Ciudad Universitaria, C1428EHA, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Gregorio Bigatti & Pablo E. Penchaszadeh

  2. CONICET-Lab. de Biología y Cultivo de Crustáceos Marinos. Depto. de Ciencias Marinas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Funes, 3350 (7600), Mar del Plata, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Maximiliano Cledón

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  1. Gregorio Bigatti
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  2. Pablo E. Penchaszadeh
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  3. Maximiliano Cledón
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Correspondence to Maximiliano Cledón.

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Communicated by O. Kinne, Oldendorf/Luhe.

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Bigatti, G., Penchaszadeh, P.E. & Cledón, M. Age and growth in Odontocymbiola magellanica (Gastropoda: Volutidae) from Golfo Nuevo, Patagonia, Argentina. Mar Biol 150, 1199–1204 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-006-0401-6

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