TIDAL PERIODICITY IN MICROGROWTH BANDS OF BLOOD CLAM Anadara indica (Bivalvia: Arcidae): A POSSIBLE ENVIRONMENTAL SCLEROCHRONOMETER IN THE TROPICS
This study examining the microgrowth periodicity of wild type Anadara indica (Gmelin, 1791) being submerged for 29 d in the cage and field plot. Individual clams showed daily increment growth that conforms to semilunar tidal cycle of 14.8 d. The shell therefore provided record about the absolute growth history of the organism, presumably including the environmental conditions under which shell deposition took place. Shell accretion decreased in rhythm to the gonad development and spawning measured as Condition Index. The significantly departed sex ration to 0.25:1 in favour of > 35 mm shell length females indicating the occurrence of male to female sex reversal, likewise its con-specific A. granosa (Linne, 1758) and A. antiquata (Linnaeus, 1758). It is thought that habitat overlap between A. granosa and A. indica, combined with irresponsible fisheries of the local people which commercially caught small size male clams caused the shift in population dominance among these two species, i.e., from A. granosa to A. indica. However, this study showed that A. indica might as well thrive in areas close to intertidal region likewise A. granosa, where tidal periodicity role as a forcing function to the environment.