Morophometric Variability in Selected Populations of Strombus urceus Linne

Abstract

This study was conducted to know if there are variations within, between and among populations ofStrombus urceus, a gastropod widely used as food.

Three (3) sites were established: Mati Davao Oriental; Bacolod, Lanao del Norte and Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte. Within each site.five subpopulations of s. urceus were sampled where for each subpopulation, ten individuals were gath-
ered. The following morphological characters were used in the study; length of the shell, length of the body whorl, width of the shell, number of varices on body whorl, number of spires length of operculum, number of operculum teeth, direction of spiral or coil, length of the left of and right eyes, and number of oblique lines on the shell's dorsal surface.

Results of multivariate analysis showed that populations ofS. urceus showed a high degree of similarity, a pattern which could be attributed by the organism's sedentary nature, and the more or less uniformity and the ephemeral nature of their habitat.