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Relationship between egg features and maternal body size in the simultaneous hermaphrodite Oxynoe olivacea (Mollusca, Opisthobranchia, Sacoglossa)

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Abstract

This paper provides information on spawn morphology and egg features of the stenophagous planktotrophic Mediterranean sacoglossan Oxynoe olivacea. Smith and Fretwell’s hypothesis, predicting that individuals of the same population growing in the same environmental conditions and varying in size should spawn eggs of a constant size, was tested in a population of O. olivacea living in the Straits of Messina. To determine whether (a) spawn mass size, (b) total egg number per spawn, and (c) egg size were related to parent size of O. olivacea, 21 egg masses (seven egg masses deposited by seven different 20 mm animals, seven egg masses deposited by seven different 25 mm animals and seven egg masses by seven different 30 mm animals) were randomly chosen and examined. Results showed that both spawn mass width and number of eggs per spawn mass increased across O. olivacea body size and apart from the significant variation of the short capsule diameter, there was no consistent variation of egg features in O. olivacea. In conclusion the species allocates constant amounts of energy to individual embryos and thus supports the prediction designed by Smith and Fretwell.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are indebted to Julie-Anne Buck for revising the English text. Giuseppe Di Carlo made constructive and challenging comments that improved the paper. This study is part of PhD thesis by Paola Gianguzza and was funded by the M.U.R.S.T. ex 60% research project to Prof. Silvano Riggio. Experiments described in this paper comply with Italian current laws.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Biologia Animale, Università degli Studi di Palermo, via Archirafi 18, 90123, Palermo, Italy

    P. Gianguzza, K. R. Jensen, F. Badalamenti & S. Riggio

  2. Zoological Museum, Universitetsparken 15, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark

    K. R. Jensen

  3. CNR-IAMC Laboratorio di Biologia Marina, Via G. Da Verrazzano 17, 91014, Castellammare del Golfo, Italy

    F. Badalamenti

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  1. P. Gianguzza
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  2. K. R. Jensen
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  3. F. Badalamenti
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  4. S. Riggio
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Correspondence to P. Gianguzza.

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Communicated by O. Kinne, Oldendorf/Luhe

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Gianguzza, P., Jensen, K.R., Badalamenti, F. et al. Relationship between egg features and maternal body size in the simultaneous hermaphrodite Oxynoe olivacea (Mollusca, Opisthobranchia, Sacoglossa). Marine Biology 148, 117–122 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-005-0066-6

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