Research Article

Determination of the minimum reproductive size of mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis (Lamarck, 1819) in the Eastern Mediterranean

Volume: 8 Number: 4 October 21, 2025
EN

Determination of the minimum reproductive size of mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis (Lamarck, 1819) in the Eastern Mediterranean

Abstract

The minimum shell length of sexual activity of the Mediterranean mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis, Lamarck 1819) was studied at three different stations in the Aegean Sea in November 2020. Individuals ranging between 7mm and 30mm in length were collected, and gonads were histologically observed in November, which is the initial sexually active month of mussels annually for this region. Water temperature was monitored in situ at the stations, and environmental parameters, chlorophyll-a and particulate matter were determined. Gonad activity was first observed in a male individual measuring 10 mm in length at Site I. First appearance of oogonia in females was observed at 14mm length in the shell at all Sites, while spawning was observed at 19mm. A statistically significant difference in the size at the onset of sexual maturity was found among stations (p<0.05).

Keywords

Ethical Statement

The authors declare that this study does not involve experiments with human or animal subjects, and therefore, ethics committee approval is not required.

Thanks

I would like to acknowledge to Aynur Lök, Selçuk Yiğitkurt, Aysun Küçükdermenci and Evrim Kurtay for their support that is very significant to make this work.

References

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Aquaculture

Journal Section

Research Article

Early Pub Date

October 19, 2025

Publication Date

October 21, 2025

Submission Date

June 12, 2025

Acceptance Date

September 29, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 1970 Volume: 8 Number: 4

APA
Kırtık, A. (2025). Determination of the minimum reproductive size of mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis (Lamarck, 1819) in the Eastern Mediterranean. Aquatic Research, 8(4), 253-264. https://doi.org/10.3153/AR25025

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