We examined the density and reproductive characteristics of the Israeli population of the cryptic species complex Dendropoma petraeum—a Mediterranean endemic reef-building gastropod. The population is gonochoristic, with a peak of gonad activity from October–November to May–June. We present here for the first time histological evidence of its reproductive cycles, hermaphroditism and gonadal parasitic infestation. The characteristics studied (gonad activity period, number of egg capsules per female, capsule size and number of eggs/embryos per capsule) were markedly different from those reported for the D. petraeum-complex population in south-east Spain. Our findings on the population's reproductive characteristics provide new information on the differences between the Mediterranean populations of D. petraeum-complex.
