Abstract
A study was undertaken for a period of one year between January 2011 and December 2011 from Parangipettai coastal waters (Mudasalodai and Annankoil) southeast coast of India. Present study discusses the distribution and systematic position of asteroids from these study areas. There are 8 species viz., Luidia maculate (15.6%), Astropecten indicus (54.9%), A. hemprichi (6.9%), Stellaster equestris (21.7%) and Anthenea pentagonula (0.1%), Protoreaster linki (0.2%), Pentacerasterr regulus (0.1%) and P. affinis (0.2%) was observed. 4 species viz., Luidia maculata, Astropecten indicus, A. hemprichi, Stellaster equestris are commonly available in both stations, where as P. lincki and P. regulus observed only from station II and Anthenea pentagonula is newly recorded from station I. diversity indices of Shannon (H’), Simpson (1-D), Evenness, Mergalef’s species richness and cluster analysis, MDS also derived based on the number of observed species. Species diversity, abundance, richness and evenness are higher in station I than the station II. The present study concluded that station I has higher resources of asteroids (89.1%) than station II (10.9%) and this study also provides additional information about diversity ofasteroids.
Highlights
Asteroidea is one of the five main classes in the phylum Echinodermata
806 individuals of 8 species such as Luidia maculata, Astropecten indicus, A. hemprichi, Stellaster equestris, Anthenea pentagonula, Protoreaster lincki, Pentaceraster regulus and P. affinis from 6 genera under 2 orders viz., Paxillosida and Valvatida were noticed at station I and II (Table 1)
Maximum of 426 individuals were observed for A. indicus at station I and minimum of 1 for A. pentagonula station I
Summary
Asteroidea is one of the five main classes in the phylum Echinodermata. Representatives of them are commonly called as sea stars or star fishes are marine pentaradiate with the bilateral ancestors comprising of 1890 extant species under 36 families [1] and about 180 species of asteroids are prevailing in Indian waters including Andaman and Nicobar Islands [2]. From shallow to deepest region in the ocean which shows different feeding modes like predators of small invertebrates (paxillosids), detritivores (valvatidans), planktivores (brisingids) and coral polyps eaters [3] They play an important role in ecology as an indicator of fishing intensity, biomarkers for pollution [4]. Collection of sea stars for aquarium keeping one of the threats for species decline for e.g. Patiriella vivipaara, Smilasterias tasmaniae and Marginaster littoralis are restricted to Tasmania and there are considered as threatened species Ocean acidification is another serious threat to sea stars because they required calcium carbonate in the form of high magnesium calcite for construction of skeleton. The knowledge on asteroids occurrence is poorly known from these coastal areas, the present survey was undertaken to know abundance and distribution of asteroids through incidental catch along the Parangipettai coastal waters, southeast coast of India
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