Các nhà khoa học biển của NUS đã nhân giống thành công hai loài ốc biển bản địa có nguy cơ tuyệt chủng

A team of marine biologists from the NUS Tropical Marine Science Institute (TMSI) demonstrates for the first time the spawning and growth of two species of sea snails or cowrie larvae, the Cypraea tigris (Tiger) and Mauritia arabica (Arabian), under laboratory conditions.

This new study is the first time cowrie larvae have been successfully bred under laboratory conditions. NUS marine biologists hope to restore two endangered cowrie species in Singapore, Tiger (left) and Arabian (right), through their study. Photo credit: Teresa Tay

The study findings were published on 12 April 2023 in the journal Royal Society Open Science. 

Singapore is home to many cowrie species; however, habitat loss from human activities such as land reclamation and over-collection for the live aquarium trade has threatened the survival of many cowrie species living along our shores. The Tiger and Arabian cowrie species are two such cowrie species that are endangered in Singapore

In an interview with The Straits Times, Dr Neo Mei Lin, who is a Senior Research Fellow at NUS TMSI and principal investigator of the study, shared, “Cowries are often harvested from the wild and are not protected under any international agreement like the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites), which makes them vulnerable to overexploitation.”

Previous research on cowries has mostly been focused on its biology and classification scheme, and prior studies on breeding cowries under laboratory conditions have yet to achieve results due to the specific conditions needed for cowrie larvae to grow and develop. 

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