Allozyme variation in populations of scallops, Pecten jacobaeus (L.) and P. maximus (L.) (Bivalvia: Pectinidae), across the Almeria–Oran front

Abstract The scallops Pecten jacobaeus and P. maximus have been traditionally considered as different species which shared a common ancestor some 5 Ma ago. This view has been challenged by recent reports of genetic distances based on allozymes and mitochondrial DNA which are incompatible with such a long period of isolation and are more typical of conspecific populations. To explain the slight allozyme differentiation opposed to a clear morphological distinctiveness, two main hypotheses have been proposed. One hypothesis views interpopulation allozyme differentiation as an outcome of simple population genetic processes such isolation by distance. The other considers that the intertaxa alloz…