Ostrea edulis (LINNAEUS) and Crassostrea gigas (THUNBERG) larvae in the plankton of Limski Kanal in the northern Adriatic Sea

Abstract

       The appearance and heavy settlement of the oyster Crassostrea gigas in the intertidal zone on the west coast of Istria Peninsula motivated the study of bivalve mero­plankton in the Limski Kanal in 1973, 1975, 1976, and 1980. The length of spawning season, the duration of planktonic larval life and the period of settlement for Ostrea edulis and Crassostrea gigas were determined by establishing the first appearance of early and mature larvae, and by deter­mining their fluctuations and abundances in plankton sam­ples.