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J. Moll. Stud. (1999), 65, 355-370
© The Malacological Society of London 1999

Indirect evidence for ecophenotypic plasticity in radular dentition of Littoraria species (Gastropoda: Littorinidae)

David G. Reid1 and Yiu-Ming Mak2

1 Department of Zoology, The Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, U.K. e-mail: dgr{at}nhm.ac.uk; 2 Department of Ecology and Biodiversity, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong. Present address: Agriculture and Fisheries Department, 13/F, Canton Road Government Offices, 393 Canton Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong.

In examination of radulae from all but one of the 36 species of the littorinid genus Littoraria we found extraordinary intraspecific variation in those occurring on a range of substrates. Radulae from rock showed a less well developed `hood' on the rachidian tooth, a strikingly enlarged major cusp on each of the five central teeth, fewer cusps on the outer marginal teeth and the radular ribbon was longer, when compared with radulae of conspecifics from plant substrates. The radulae of species found exclusively on rock differed in similar ways from those restricted to plant substrates (mangroves, driftwood and saltmarsh). We suggest that this may be an example of phenotypic plasticity of radular form, induced by substrate and/or diet, as recently shown experimentally in another littorinid genus. The mechanism of inducible plasticity deserves further study. Ecotypic variation in the radula may be widespread in littorinids, and radular characters should therefore be used with caution in studies of taxonomy, phylogeny and adaptation.

(Received 20 July 1998; accepted 10 November 1998)


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