Shell form and growth of the bivalve Scapharca broughtoni
Selin, N.I.
Russian Journal of Marine Biology 26(3): 196-200
2000
ISSN/ISBN: 1063-0740 Accession: 011354271
Linear growth rates and age-related changes in shell form of the bivalve Scapharca broughtoni from Peter the Great Bay, the Sea of Japan are analyzed. Mollusks grow fast during the first 4 to 5 years of life; at the age of 10 to 12 years the annual increase in shell size does not usually exceed 1 to 3 mm. Irrespective of habitat conditions, shell valves of S. broughtoni become more convex with increasing age; but the most significant changes in shell form occur during the first year of life. The peculiarities of growth and age-related changes in shell form of S. broughtoni are discussed from the standpoint of functional morphology of burrowing bivalve mollusks which at the postlarval stage change over to the free-living mode of life.