Abra alba and Abra tenuis are closely related marine bivalves. They both inhabit similar types of sandy-mud sediments but they prefer different localities. The smaller A. tenuis is found in a few scattered intertidal mudflats, whereas A. alba is more widely distributed and in great abundance in the coastal waters of north-west Europe. The latter can be found at any depth between low-water mark and 80 m (Tebble, 1966; Ansell, 1974) and often forms the dominant species of shallow water benthic communities.The reproductive cycle of the two species has been studied and compared as a part of a wider ecological investigation. There is minimal literature concerning the reproduction of A. tenuis but A. alba has received a lot of attention, because it forms a major source of food for flatfish. However, most of the earlier investigations are confined to the time that spawning occurs with the evidence derived from either the time of the year that larvae appear in the plankton (Lebour, 1938; Jorgensen, 1946; Fosshagen, 1965; Muus, 1973; Rasmusen, 1973), or the time of the year that juveniles first appear in the bottom samples (Orton, 1924; Ford, 1925; Stephen, 1932). The inadequacy of such indirect methods has been discussed by Seed (1969,1975, 1976). Ansell (1974) derived the reproductive cycle of A. alba from seasonal changes in the biochemical composition. In the present investigation, histological techniques have been used, since they are considered to offer the most reliable information about the reproductive cycle (Seed, 1969, 1975, 1976).
Distribution of paracalanidae species (Copepoda, Crustacea) in the continental shelf off Sergipe and Alagoas States, Northeast Brazil
