Argopecten irradians

Argopecten irradians, formerly classified as Aequipecten irradians, common names Atlantic bay scallop or bay scallop, is a marine bivalve mollusk in the family Pectinidae, a species of scallop. An edible saltwater clam, it is native to the northwest Atlantic from Cape Cod to the Gulf of Mexico.

Not to be confused with sea scallop.

Argopecten irradians
A live Argopecten irradians
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Bivalvia
Order: Pectinida
Family: Pectinidae
Genus: Argopecten
Species:
A. irradians
Binomial name
Argopecten irradians
(Lamarck, 1819)
Subspecies

See text

Description
Shell of Argopecten irradians from Bermuda Islands at the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano

Bay scallop fishery

This species of scallop used to support a large wild fishery on the East Coast of the United States, but since the 1950s it has decreased greatly. This is apparently the result of several negative influences, one of which is a reduction in sea grasses (to which bay scallop spat attach) due to increased coastal development and concomitant nutrient runoff. By contrast, the Atlantic sea scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) is at historically high levels of abundance,because the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of 2006 put a limit on catch numbers and lead to a recovery from overfishing.

Scallops aquaculture is currently being practiced in Florida[1] They were introduced into China for the 1980s and are the basis of a vibrant aquaculture industry in that country[2] and attempted elsewhere.

Subspecies

This species has five different subspecies:

  • A. i. amplicostatus (Dall, 1898)
  • A. i. concentricus (Say, 1822)
  • A. i. irradians (Lamarck, 1819)
  • A. i. sablensis (Clarke, 1965) - a fossil subspecies
  • A. i. taylorae Petuch, 1987 - the southern bay scallop

References
  1. "Argopecten irradians concentricus". si.edu.
  2. "TRAINING MANUAL ON BREEDING AND CULTURE OF SCALLOP AND SEA CUCUMBER IN CHINA". fao.org.
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