BIOTIC

BIOTIC Species Information for Patella vulgata

Researched by

Jacqueline Hill

Data supplied by

MarLIN

Refereed by

Prof. Steve J. Hawkins

Reproduction/Life History

Reproductive type

Protandrous hermaphrodite

Developmental mechanism

Planktotrophic

Reproductive Season

See additional information

Reproductive Location

Water column

Reproductive frequency

Annual protracted

Regeneration potential

Life span

11-20 years

Age at reproductive maturity

<1 year

Generation time

3-5 years

Fecundity

Insufficient information

Egg/propagule size

Eggs 160 µm in diameter

Fertilization type

External

Larvae/Juveniles
Larval/Juvenile dispersal potential	>10km	Larval settlement period	Insufficient information
Duration of larval stage	2-10 days

Reproduction Preferences Additional Information

Reproduction
Patella vulgata become sexually mature as males aged about nine months. Sex change may occur at one year, commonly at two to three, occasionally later and some limpets never become female. Spawning is believed to be induced by rough seas and onshore winds. Eggs (160 µm in diameter) are broadcast singly and fertilized externally. They are dark green in colour due to the presence of a pigment called chromoprotein Y (Fretter & Graham, 1974). The trochophore larvae has a pelagic life of about 2 weeks and then settles on rocks at a shell length of about 0.2 mm. Newly settled spat are usually found in rock pools or permanently damp situations. Recruitment fluctuates from year to year and from place to place and Bowman (1981) has pointed out that traditional statements about patellid breeding seasons are not universally valid for the British Isles.
Reproductive frequency:
Annual, with peaks within a defined spawning season (October - January) depending on location. Patella vulgata is a winter breeder only in southern England, in the north of Scotland it breeds in August and in north-east England in September.

Reproduction References

Hayward et al., 1996, Fish & Fish, 1996, Fretter & Graham, 1994, Fretter & Graham, 1976, Bowman, 1981,