Density of Mollusks Community from a Rocky Intertidal Zone in Karang Papak Coastal, West Java, Indonesia

Abstract

Mollusks are soft boned animals that are included in invertebrate phyla. The Karang Papak coastal is located in Cikelet, Garut Regency, West Java, Indonesia. The study was carried out in an intertidal zone in Karang Papak, West Java Indonesia at October 2018-February 2019 which the intertidal zone was divided into three observation stations using four times sampling based on the four moon phases (Quarter one, dark moon, quarter two, full moon). The objectives of this research were to study abundance and density of mollusks based on moon phase. The results showed that Seventy-one mollusk species were found to be represented, corresponding to 36 genera, 23 families, 11 orders from class of Gastropoda and Bivalvia. The density values ranging from 3.22-4.17 ind/m2. The highest value obtained in the dark moon phase was 4.17 ind/m2 while the lowest value was found in the moon phase Q-2 amounted to 3.22 ind/m2.The moon phase can affect the density of mollusks because the main contain light from the moon that can affect the regulation of the mollusks’ body such as for physiological processes. This data can be used as basic data on mollusks’ diversity and determine the time to catch mollusks.