Effect of temperature on growth of the intertidal purple snail Plicopurpura pansa (Gould 1853) under laboratory conditions

To determine the optimum temperature for growth of the endangered intertidal purple snail Plicopurpura pansa (Gould 1853) (Prosobranchia, Muricidae), 731 adult specimens were reared in the laboratory on squid for 86 days at temperatures ranging from 20 to 32°C. The snails showed extremely slow growth, if at all. Males and females raised at 26°C grew the fastest, an average of 0.85 and 0.43 mm respectively. No statistically significant differences were observed at other temperatures or between males and females. The best temperature for growth for the intertidal purple snail appears to be in the range between 26 and 30°C.