Shell form, growth, and production of Astarte borealis (Schumacher, 1817) (Astartidae, Bivalvia) in the southeastern Baltic Sea

The relationships between the linear dimensions and body weight and the ratio between the masses, growth, and production were studied for the bivalve Astarte borealis inhabiting the southeastern Baltic Sea. The maximal shell length was 21.09 mm, while the maximum age was 8+. The linear growth was described by the Bertalanffy equation L τ = (1 - e -0.0894(τ-(-0.7354)) ). The annual production was 7.60 kJ/m 2 at a P s / B coefficient of 0.41. It was found that the A. borealis inhabiting the southeastern Baltic Sea was characterized by a lower linear growth rate compared to the mollusks of other parts of the geographical range due to the low salinity of the Baltic Sea.