Metazoan parasites and commensals of the northern Chilean scallop Argopecten purpuratus (Lamarck, 1819) as tools for stock identification

The value of parasites and commensals of the northern scallops Argopecten purpuratus as biological tags for stock discrimination is assessed. Six-hundred and eighty-six specimens obtained from four wild populations in northern Chile (El Fraile, La Rinconada, Caldera and Tongoy) were analyzed. Eleven species (four parasites and seven commensals) were obtained. A canonical multivariate analysis suggests that scallops from northern Chile comprise four stocks. Identification of stocks is largely based on significant differences in the mean intensity of infection of Rhinebothrium sp. (Cestoda) and Dodecaceria sp. and Polydora sp. (Polychaeta)