Occurrence of imposex in Thais haemastoma (Linnaeus, 1767) (Mollusca: Gastropoda) as an indication of contamination by Organotin on the coastal zone of Fortaleza city, Ceará State, Brazil

Authors

  • Ítalo Braga de Castro Bacharelando do Curso de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Campus do Pici, Fortaleza.
  • Helena Matthews Cascon Professor-Adjunto do Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Campus do Pici, Fortaleza.
  • Marcos Antônio Fernandez Professor da Universidade Estadual do Rio de Janeiro e pesquisador do Laboratório de Bioindicadores do Departamento de Química, Pontifícia Universidade Católica, Rio de Janeiro.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32360/acmar.v33i1-2.11806

Keywords:

Thais haemastoma, imposex, Organotin, Mollusca.

Abstract

The imposex is characterized by the development of male features in females neogastropods mollusks, namely the appearance of a no functional vas deferens and penis. The ocurrence of imposex is a consequence of contamination by anti-fouling paints and, in particular, by their main biotoxic ingredient, the tributyltin (TBT). Samples of Thais haemastoma were collected in ten beaches of the metropolitan area of Fortaleza city, Ceará State, Brazil, and examined for the ocurrence of imposex, which proved positive in many females. The degree of imposex was related to the distance of the beach to the city harbor, with the higher levels of contamination being presented by the samples from the Mansa and Mucuripe beachs, closest to the city harbor.

Published

2017-05-05

Issue

Section

Artigos originais