Settlement of the muricid Concholepas concholepas and its relationship with El Nino and coastal upwellings in southern Chile

Abstract

The settlement of Concholepas concholepas (Brugiere, 1789) (Gastropoda; Muricidae) was monitored in the intertidal zone in front of the Marine Reserve of Mehuin in Maiquillahue Bay, south-central Chile, from 1989 to 1997. Data appeared correlated to the SOI (Southern Oscillation Index) and the occurrence of local upwelling as detected from satellite images. Greatest settlement density was linked to the coupling of upwelling between February and April, coinciding with the occurrence of the first stages of larval development (which hatch from benthic capsules as a late veliger stage). These conditions co-occur when the mean value of the SOI over the 3 mo prior to the beginning of the settlement period approximates zero.