Age and Growth of the Brackish Water Clam, Corbicula japonica Prime on the West Coast of Korea

한국 서해산 일본재첩, Corbicula japonica Prime의 연령과 성장

Samples of Corbicula japonica Prime of Jujin estuary in Gochang were collected from July 2000 to September 2001. Age of C. japonica was determined from the rings on the shell. The relationship between shell length and ring radius in each ring group was expressed as a regression line. Therefore, there is a correspondence in each ring formation. Based on the monthly variation of the marginal index (MI') of the shell, it is assumed that the ring of this species was formed once a year during the period of February and March. The relationship between shell length (SL; mm) and total weight (TW; g) was expressed by the following equation: TW = 1.0942 ${\times}10^{-4}SL^{3.3217}$ ($r^2$ = 0.9905). Shell length (SL) and shell height (SH; mm) was highly correlated with shell height as the following equation: SH = 0.9174 SL - 0.9935 ($r^2$ = 0.9885). The shell length (SL) - shell width (SW) relation was also expressed by the following equation; SW = 0.5925 SL - 1.1706 ($r^2$ = 0.9726). Growth curves for shell length and total weight fitted to the von Bertalanffy's growth curve were expressed as: $$SL_t = 46.4861[1-e^{-0.3383(t+0.0958)}]$$, $$TW_t = 34.54[1-e^{-0.3383(t+0.0958)}]^3.3217$$.