Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 May 2009
The spawning, larval development, and postlarval characteristics of Calliostoma granulatum have been described and illustrated from laboratory observations. Spawning in this species does not follow a seasonal pattern, since adult specimens caught at all times of the year released viable gametes after two or three days in tanks. Eggs had a mean diameter of 341 μm and were surrounded by a mucous sheath by which they were agglutinated into ribbons of variable length that formed amorphous clumps on the bottom of the tanks. The veliger larval stage was short (two days) and took place inside the egg membrane. Development was direct, and at 18–19°C juveniles emerged as crawling young four days after fertilization. Larval and postlarval shells were studied with the aid of a scanning electron microscope.