Mate choice in divergent morphs of the gastropod mollusc Littorina saxatilis (Olivi): speciation in action?

Abstract

We investigated mate choice in the gastropod Littorina saxatilis (Olivi) in the laboratory, using snails taken from two shores, 20km apart. The snails occur in two distinct shell morphs in the high (H) and mid (M) shore zones, known to show signs of a postzygotic reproductive barrier between them. We found that mating was assortative not only between the forms H and M on a single shore, but also between snails from the two different shores. Mating preference appeared to be based on morph type over this distance. The snails may be detecting and responding to an extrinsic attribute reflecting a common microhabitat (but across a distance of 20km), and/or an intrinsic attribute to do with the organisms themselves. These findings are further evidence of behaviour associated with the evolution of reproductive isolation in this gastropod species.