Family Volutidae Rafinesque, 1815. Voluta ebraea (Linnaeus, 1758).

MATTHEWS-CASCON, H.; DE ALMEIDA ROCHA-BARREIRA, C; P.E PENCHASZADEH; BIGATTI, G.

Egg Masses of some Brazilian Mollusks - Desovas de alguns Moluscos Brasileiros.

Expressão Gráfica e Editora

Lugar: Fortaleza, Brasil; Año: 2011; p. 57 - 59

Voluta ebraea Linnaeus, 1758 is an endemic volutid from north and northeast Brazil. This species can be found from the intertidal zone up to 40 meters deep, being more abundant between 25 and 40m deep.This gastropod has a heavy shell, with rows of orange color with irregular dark brown, and can measure up to about 200 mm in length. Presents a very wide foot ornamented with the same way as the shell.The egg capsules are found attached to the algae Udotia occidentalis in sea grass beds. The capsules are circular and measure on average 20 mm in diameter. In each capsule, are present from 2 to 3 eggs immersed in an abundant albuminous fluid. An opening through which crawling juveniles emerge is located at the center of the egg capsules with a suture from the base to the central opening. The egg capsules were found mainly fixed to the concave side of the alga and mostly one egg capsule attached.The average number of hatchlings are three and the mean shell length of juveniles 7.8 mm. The juveniles had the same pattern of coloration in the foot as the adults, and the same external morphology. The protoconchs of juveniles had 2.25 whorls, the same as the adults. The teleoconch has parallel plicae as in the adult shell but without the spines characteristic of the species in larger specimens.Histochemical techniques showed that egg capsules wall is composed of three layers, containing protein, carbohydrates and glycoprotein.