The Combined Effects of Temperature and Salinity on Growth and Survival of Hatchery‐Reared Juvenile Spotted Babylon, Babylonia areolata (Link 1807)

The effects of temperature and salinity on growth and survival of juvenile spotted babylon, Babylonia areolata , were investigated by rearing snails at combinations of temperatures (20, 24, 28, and 32 C) and salinity (16, 22, 28, and 34 g/L) for 42 d. Groups of 20 animals were used in triplicate in each combination of conditions. Survival was significantly different among treatments due to temperatures but not due to salinities. The mean survival values for the various temperatures were 87.5, 92.5, 94.2, and 71.7% at 20, 24, 28, and 32 C, respectively. Growth, as measured by daily body weight and shell length gain, was influenced significantly by temperature, salinity, and the temperature–salinity interaction. The optimal status for culture snails was obtained at temperatures from 26 to 30 C and salinity from 26 to 30 g/L. The total production was shown to be best in these conditions and this coincided highly with the prevailing conditions in the natural habitat from which the animals originated.