Gametogenic Cycle, the Spawning Season, First Sexual Maturity, and the Biological Minimum Size in Male Ruditapes philippinarum （Bivalvia： Veneridae） in Western Korea

The male gametogenic cycle, spawning season, first sexual maturity, and the biological minimum size in male Ruditapes philippinarum were investigated by qualitative and quantitative reproductive analyses. In the study of the male gametogenic cycle by qualitative histological analysis, the gametogenic cycle in male individuals can be classified into five successive stages： （1） early active stage, （2） late active stage, （3） ripe stage, （4） partially spawned stage, and （5） spent and inactive stage. Monthly changes in the gonad index in males measured by qualitative analysis showed a similar pattern to the male gametogenic cycle. In the study of the male gametogenic cycle by quantitative statistical analysis, monthly changes in the portions （%） of areas occupied by the testis areas to total tissue areas showed a rapid increase in March, and reached the maximum in May-June. And also monthly changes in the portions （%） of areas occupied by the spermatogenic stages to the testis area showed a maximum in May and gradually decreased from June to October. Therefore, this species showed a unimodal gametogenic cycle during the year, and the number of spawning seasons occurred once per year, from June to October, with a peak spawning between July and August. The percentage at the first sexual maturity of male clams ranging from 15.1-20.0 mm in shell length was 64.7%, and that of all individuals ranging from over 25.1 mm in shell length was 100%. The biological minimum size （shell lengths at 50% of sexual maturity （RMs0）） of male mature clams that was fitted to an exponential equation was 17.16 mm （considered to be 1 year old）. Because harvesting clams less than 17.16 mm in shell length could potentially cause a drastic reduction in recruitment, a measure indicating a prohibitory fishing size should be enacted for adequate fisheries management.