Evidence for fall spawning of northern bay scallops Argopecten Irradiansirradians (Lamarck 1819) in New York

摘要

Spawning of Argopecten irradians irradians is generally believed to occur between late May to August; however, some literature reports and anecdotal observations have suggested that ripe individuals may be present well into the fall. This paper reports on evidence for fall spawning of bay scallops that we sampled from different populations in Long Island, New York, waters, in different years. At two sites, a spawning peak in September followed a discrete spawning peak in early summer (late June/early July). Scallops at one or more of four different sites were conclusively shown to spawn well into the fall (late September, October, or early November) during 3 different years: one in which a brown tide (Aureococcus anophagefferens) algal bloom occurred (1995) and during nonbrown tide years (1993, 1994). Our work, coupled with reports of other researchers, suggests that fall spawning of A. i. irradians in NW Atlantic waters does not seem to be uncommon and may be important in some populations during particular years. [References: 40]