On 27-Mar-00, David Campbell <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>        Question:  Has sexual dimorphism ever been seen in the
>                            Pectinidae?  And,  moreover, even, are the
>                  sexes separate in Pectinidae?

I do not know of external sexual dimorphism.  Sexes are usually separate,
but rare individuals showing some hermaphroditism have been found in
Placopecten magellanicus.

Chesapecten became extinct in the mid-Pliocene with no descendants, but
other genera are probably closely related.


Dr. David Campbell

"Old Seashells"

Department of Geological Sciences
CB 3315 Mitchell Hall
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill NC 27599-3315
USA

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919-962-0685
FAX 919-966-4519

"He had discovered an unknown bivalve, forming a new genus"-E. A. Poe, The
Gold Bug
Thank you, Dr. Campbell!
        I was trying to identify a scallop which was identiical to another, except for the former being much  "fatter," even at a snaller size.  I believe I must be dealing with a separate species, but probably in the same genus.  I think the difference between the two is too great to be classed as an individual variation.
        Re the questioin about the Chesapecten, I have recieved a numbher of nice specimens in trade and wondered if their line extended to any extant species.
                Cordially,
                           Linda Bush