Morphometric Analysis of the Critically Endangered Fan Mussel (Pinna nobilis L.) in Maliakos Gulf (Central Aegean)

Abstract

In this study, we present the relationships between total length, unburied length, and shell width and between total length and net weight for the critically endangered Pinna nobilis. This is the first transplantation study in which live specimens of P. nobilis have been used for estimating the length–weight relationship by deploying the unburied length. Length–length relationships were all linear for all cases (r2 > 0.900), whereas the length–weight relationship was negative allometric with the values of the exponent b ranging from 2.159 to 2.828. These relationships are important because they offer a restorative monitoring tool without damaging or sacrificing this endangered species, as total length can be computed using unburied length. By examining the relationships between different size dimensions in this re-allocated population, the present study also provided valuable insights for comparative growth studies, stock assessment models, and conservation purposes.