Ventilation Rates in Fulgur Whelks

Abstract

Direct measurements of ventilation rates in the marine gastropods Busycon carica, Busycotypus canaliculatus, Sinistrofulgur sinistrum, and Melongena corona were made. Ventilation in B. carica ranged between 3 and 186 mL min–1; the rate in B. canaliculatus was 12–174 mL min–1, and 0.6–42 mL min–1 in S. sinistrum. There was no consistent relationship between the size of the animals and the ventilation rate. Ventilation rates for any individual were variable, and rates varied among individuals. The rates reported here are relatively low in comparison with those of cephalopods and bivalves, but not surprising as in nearly all gastropods, ventilation is tied only to gas exchange. In cephalopods, ventilation is also involved in locomotion, and in bivalves, a primary role of ventilation is feeding.