Brief Summary
The Trochus niloticus is the largest species in the family of sea snails Trochidae (FAO, 1999). They are a gastropod with a large, conical shell and are found up to depths of 10m of the Indo- Pacific zone (FAO, 1999). These herbivores can grow up to 15cm in size and are sought after as an export item for their mother- of- pearl shells in unprotected areas (Dolorosa et al, 2010). They are gonochoristic and reproduce by nocturnal broadcast spawning during a spring tide,with the presence of sperm inducing female spawning (FAO, 1999). |