Benthic richness in the Argentine continental shelf: the role of Zygochlamys patagonica (Mollusca, Bivalvia, Pectinidae) as settlement substrate.

SCHEJTER L.; BREMEC C.

JOURNAL OF THE MARINE BIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED KINGDOM

Año: 2007 vol. 87 p. 917 - 925

0025-3154

In this study we present results on epibionts on Zygochlamys patagonica (King & Broderip, 1832) from material collected during monitoring cruises in different areas in the Argentine Sea. We update the checklist of epibiontes increasing the number of taxa from 19 to 41 and considering 2 species closely associated to the shells. The demosponge Iophon proximum was the most frequent and abundant epibiont (% presence and coverage). Polydora sp. was registered as a parasite of Z. patagonica in shells from the Beagle Channel, but it did not infest scallops from the commercial beds. Zygochlamys patagonica shells constitute conspicuous hard substrate available for the settlement of sessile organisms. This fact leads to the increment of benthic richness in the continental soft-bottom areas of the Argentine Sea, where scallop beds are located.