Characteristics of Mitotic Chromosomes of Rapana venosa (Valenciennes, 1846) (Gastropoda, Muricidae)

Predatory gastropod mollusk Rapana venosa (Valenciennes, 1846) was brought from the Sea of Japan to the Black Sea; it has spread in lots of areas of the World Ocean. The article presents a description of the karyotype in embryonic cells. There are 70 chromosomes in rapa whelk karyotype belonging to the following three morphological groups: metacentric (32), submetacentric (36), and subtelocentric (2) chromosomes, which are from 1.499 +/- 0.019 to 5.575 +/- 0.125 mu m in length. The length of the haploid chromosome set is 100.783 mu m. Multiple type of crossing provides high genetic diversity of R. venosa that explains the adaptive capabilities of the species reproductive strategy and its eurybioticity.