Imposex in dog welks

What is it: 

Imposex is the development of male sexual characteristics (the formation of a vas deferens and growth of a penis) in female dog whelks. The common dog whelk, Nucella lapillus, is a marine snail. It is abundant on many rocky shores, where it feeds on barnacles.

Links to Scotland's Marine Atlas: 
Chapter 3: Biological Effects of Contaminants
Data originators: 
Marine Environment Monitoring and Assessment National database (MERMAN)
Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA)
This information page is part of the theme: 
Biological Effects
Imposex in dog whelks © SEPA
More Information: 

The reduction in imposex characteristics is a slow process and sampling and analysis are only required every few years to confirm that the improvement is ongoing.

Currently, a trend analysis of the available data for sites in Scotland is being carried out. Sites that are still at risk of showing imposex above the assessment criteria will be re-sampled in 2014.

Additional data are available on the MERMAN assessment tool (see link in table below)

This page was last modified on : 
Friday, March 2, 2018 - 14:02

Links and Resources

Type Title External link
Web link SEPA - Monitoring www.sepa.org.uk
Data Portals Marine Environment Monitoring and Assessment National database (MERMAN) www.bodc.ac.uk