Reproductive cycle of the gastropod Opeatostoma pseudodon (Burrow, 1815) from the artisanal fishery at Puerto Ángel, Oaxaca, Mexico

We studied the reproductive cycle of 1,604 ind of Opeatostoma pseudodon from the artisanal fishery in Puerto Ángel, Oaxaca, Mexico, using gonadal histology over two years. The sex ratio was slightly skewed towards males, who were more abundant from June to August; thereafter, females outnumbered them. Histological gonadal stages included initial oogenesis, vitellogenic maturity, maturity, spawning, and rest; spermatogenesis, maturity, spawning, and rest. Cross-correlation analysis revealed significant delays between peak spawning and resting stage frequencies, indicating that females require longer to reach maturity than males, but rest for one month less after spawning. High chlorophyll-a concentrations resulting from winter upwelling were significantly and synchronously cross-correlated with high numbers of mature individuals. Furthermore, cross-correlation analysis revealed that the high frequencies of mature individuals occurred six months after the highest monthly temperatures (May to August), during the coolest months (October to March). The opposite was true for the frequency of resting organisms (high during warm months, low during cool months). Due to the narrow temperature range of the studied sites, food availability seems to be the main trigger for the onset of reproduction. We hope this study will provide information on reproduction (stages and timing) useful for proposing management strategies (winter ban) and aquaculture potential.