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Growth of the purple dye murex, Bolinus brandaris (Gastropoda: Muricidae), marked and released in a semi-intensive fish culture earthen pond
Paulo Vasconcelos, Alexandre M. Pereira, Rita Constantino, Carlos M. Barroso and Miguel B. Gaspar

The present study reports the growth rate of the purple dye murex, Bolinus brandaris (Gastropoda: Muricidae), estimated from mark-recapture experiments. A total of 1067 specimens (shell length = 43.4±8.1 mm, range = 14.6−78.4 mm) were marked with Dymo® tape tags and released in a semi-intensive fish culture earthen pond. After a period at liberty ranging from almost two months to around two years, 288 individuals were recaptured (shell length =67.4±6.2 mm, range =45.3−88.6 mm), which corresponded to a recapture rate of 27.0%. At recapture, only one specimen had lost the tag (tag loss rate <0.1%) and all remaining tags were intact and legible. Mean monthly growth rates were 0.9±1.0 mm in shell length, 0.4±0.5 mm in shell width and 0.7±0.7 g in total weight. Growth rates showed high inter-individual variability and an evident decreasing trend with specimen size. Comparison of growth rates with similar information available for other muricids confirmed that B. brandaris is a relatively slow-growing species. This provides valuable information for both fisheries management and for assessing the potential of B. brandaris as a candidate species for molluscan aquaculture.

Keywords: purple dye murex, Bolinus brandaris, Gastropoda, Muricidae, mark-recapture, growth rate
Contents of this volume Sci. Mar. 76(1) : 67-78 Back PDF
 
 
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