The influence of shell growth rate on striae deposition in the scallop Pecten maximus

Abstract

The relationship between shell growth rate and striae deposition was investigated in a field study in which groups of juvenile scallops, Pecten maximus, (Pectinidae: Bivalvia) were deployed for monthly periods over a year in the Menai Strait (North Wales). The number of striae deposited per day, inter-striae width (the increment of shell deposited between successive striae) and striae abundance (the number of striae deposited per mm of shell height) all correlated well with measured shell growth rates. During the winter months, when seawater temperatures were minimal (6°C), inter-striae width declined, whilst striae abundance increased, whereas during the summer when seawater temperatures were maximal (18°C), shell growth was rapid with maximum inter-striae width, resulting in a seasonal pattern of narrowly grouped, then widely spaced striae. This seasonal pattern in inter-striae width variation provides an accurate and reliable method for estimating the number of growth cycles and hence the age of P. maximus.