Tributyltin Effects on Ocinebrina Aciculata: Imposex Development, Sterilization, Sex Change, and Population Decline

The 1996 study examined the impact of tributyltin (TBT) on the gastropod Ocinebrina aciculata, revealing imposex development, sterilization, sex change, and population decline. The research involved 721 specimens and found that all females exhibited imposex, with 6.4% of males showing hyperplastic tissue excrescences due to TBT exposure. The study identified two stages of imposex development and three types within one stage, with significant differences in penis length between imposex stages in females. A small percentage (1.5%) of specimens underwent sex change from female to male. The species demonstrated higher TBT sensitivity than Nucella lapillus, with no recovery observed since TBT restrictions were implemented in France in 1982. The study concluded that O. aciculata is extremely endangered and could disappear without further TBT restrictions, and it highlighted the potential of prosobranch snails as bioindicators for the effects of xenoandrogens like TBT on the environment and possibly human health.