FRESENIUS ENVIRONMENTAL BULLETIN, cilt.31, sa.7, ss.6819-6829, 2022 (SCI-Expanded)
The veined Rapa whelk, Rapana venosa (Valenciennes, 1846), have a significant commercial value in Turkey. This study was carried out between December 2013 and November 2014 in the Black Sea. R. venosa was collected to determine the reproductive cycle, the gonadosomatic index, gonad index. Monthly variation in gonad development stages revealed that R. venosa has an annual reproductive cycle and long gonadal activity period. Spawning occurred mainly between May and July and peaked in July and in September. The gonad development stages of males and females differed significantly (P<0.05) between months. In November, 1 out of 30 samples were found as a hermaphrodite, containing both sperm and eggs in the same area. Male individuals were dominant during the study period (1.0:2.4 female: male).