Male reproductive traits of the marine snail Buccinanops deformis (King, 1832), (Gastropoda: Nassariidae): Size and age at maturity and sperm morphology

Size and age at sexual maturity in males was studied in Buccinanops deformis through analysis of gonadal tissue samples, secondary sexual characters and mating behavior in Golfo San Matías, Patagonia. Gonadal maturity occurred prior to the development of secondary sexual characters. Size at first gonadal maturity was 17.5 cm shell length (ca. 3-4 yr) whereas secondary sexual characters as penis length mature in the population at 20.16 cm. Four gonadal stages were recorded during the year, and spawning period was identified from June to August (austral winter). Filiform spermatozoa and vermiform paraspermatozoa are present in the mature testis. This study provides new complementary characters by which the systematic of Buccinanops species can be better evaluated. Results are broadly compared with published information of other Neogastropoda.