ABSTRACT
Moderate temperature fluctuations of 26 to 29.6°C and a sudden decrease in salinity from 18 to 3 have been correlated with the major spawning period of mussels in Bhatia Creek at Ratnagiri. Rising water temperature and high salinity have been correlated with spawning, and the period of decreasing temperature and low salinity coincides with the resting condition of the gonads of mussels from Kakinada. Studies have focused on the sexual maturation and spawning of the brown mussel, P. indica. Mussels mature at about 3 months old, and the minimum size at maturity is 15.5 mm. Application of thermal, mechanical, and chemical stimuli has induced spawning in green mussels from Goa coast after feeding unialgal cultures of Tetraselmis gracilis, T. chui, and Synecystis spp. Larval development of the artificially fertilized green mussel has been studied on the Goa coast.
