The relationship between age and body size of individuals in isolated clutches of the terrestrial slug,Limax maximus (linnaeus, 1858)
✍ Scribed by Prior, David J.
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1983
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 258 KB
- Volume
- 225
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0022-104X
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✦ Synopsis
Abstract
The variability of the relationship between age and growth rate was analyzed using isolated clutches of eggs from the terrestrial slug, Limax maximus. The slugs that hatched from isolated clutches of eggs were weighed every 30 days until they were 150 days old. The weights of the slugs at every age were highly variable. For example, the range of weights at 150 days was 0.21–8.15 gm, which represents a 39‐fold difference. In addition, there was considerable variation in the age of slugs that weighed the same. The mean weights of slugs in clutch T4 at 90 days and of slugs in clutch T2 at 150 days were the same (2.19 gm). Also the ranges of weights at 30 and 150 days indicate that there were 30‐day‐old slugs that weighed the same as some 150‐day‐old slugs. The large variability of growth rate of Limax indicates that age‐related studies of gastropod molluscs will require knowledge of the hatch dates, as well as developmental or biochemical staging schemes.