Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

NEW RECORDS OF TANAIDS IN PULICAT LAKE ECOSYSTEM

A. Priya, J. Sesh Serebiah, R. Gomathy and R. Moses Inbaraj

Abstract

Tanaidaceans are peracarid crustaceans which plays a vital role in benthic community. The preliminary study carried out with tanaidacean regarding its diversity and physicochemical parameters in Pulicat Lake. Salinity range between 8 ppt to 35 ppt and Sulphide ranged from 10.105 μg/L at St.12 (Premonsoon) to 100.888 μg/L at St. 6 (Postmonsoon) were played important role in tanaid population. They comprised of suborder Apseudomorpha represented by four families. Totally seven species were recorded. Three species were new record to India and four to Pulicat. The population density varied from 6.3011– 535.6018 no/sq.m. The Shannon weiner index showed the highest diversity H’ (loge’) 1.3739 in St. 9 and minimum diversity H’(loge’) 0.7501 St.16. The goodness of fit of MDS stress value was 0.14. The study revealed that tanaids are preferred by seagrass, seaweed, muddy and fine sand shell deposition for its proliferations.