MATURATION OF GAMETES AND SPAWNING IN MACOMA BALTHICA (L.)

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Gametogenesis and spawning are described for a population of Macoma balthica (L.) from the Thames Estuary. The primary gonad passes through a male phase, maturation being achieved in the 2nd year of life. Gametogenesis is associated with a system of follicle cells which break down as the gametes approach maturity. The arrangement of follicle cells is characteristic of the sex. In the female, gametocytes are peripheral to the follicle cells; in the male they are interstitial. Spermatogenesis proceeds most rapidly in the center of the follicle, resulting in a gradient of spermatogenic stages of increasing maturity from the periphery to the center.Spawning takes place principally in spring, and to a lesser extent in autumn, during neap tides. Several spawnings were identified in a season, but repeated cycles of gametogenesis were absent.