Reproductive strategies of Hydrococcus brazieri (Tenison Woods, 1876) and Arthritica semen (Menke, 1843) in Peel Inlet, Western Australia

Abstract

Females of Hydrococcus brazieri deposit egg capsules on any suitable hard substrate within which a single embryo develops. Young of Arthritica semen develop in a brood pouch in the female. In both species the young emerge at a crawling juvenile stage. Adaptations of H. brazieri and A. semen for estuarine life include: continuous reproduction, lack of a planktonic stage, rapid growth rates and short maturation times. In these characteristics H. brazieri and A. semen are relatively r selected in comparison with the other group of dominant estuarine molluscs, the mussels.