Male-biased sex ratio in the crawling individuals of an invasive naticid snail during summer: implications for population management.

Kazuki Yoshida, Tomoka Setogawa, Toshiyuki Sato, Manabu Yamada, Tatsuma Sato, Kaoru Narita, Akira Matsumoto, Takeshi Tomiyama

Scientific reports 2022 May 12

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The naticid snail Laguncula pulchella is an invasive species that preys on clams in tidal flats and has serious impacts on clam fisheries in Japan. Laguncula pulchella burrow in sand, but often crawl on sediment surfaces during low tide. We investigated seasonal changes in the abundance and sex ratio of crawling L. pulchella during the daytime at Matsukawaura Lagoon, Japan, from March to October from 2015 to 2019. The density of crawling individuals peaked in July. The sex ratio of crawling individuals varied with months and years but was significantly biased towards males during the main copulation period (July-August); males accounted for 77-98% of the mature crawling individuals (≥ 25 mm shell height). The somatic condition of mature males declined from June to August, whereas that of females was constant during this period. These results indicate that mature males actively come to the sand surface during low tide to search for females for copulation from July to August. Fishermen make efforts to remove crawling individuals in summer, but the male-biased sex ratio must also be considered for effective population control of this species. © 2022. The Author(s).

Citation

Kazuki Yoshida, Tomoka Setogawa, Toshiyuki Sato, Manabu Yamada, Tatsuma Sato, Kaoru Narita, Akira Matsumoto, Takeshi Tomiyama. Male-biased sex ratio in the crawling individuals of an invasive naticid snail during summer: implications for population management. Scientific reports. 2022 May 12;12(1):7911