Molluscan diversity in the mangrove ecosystem of Mumbai, west coast of India

Abstract

Ever increasing human population, habitat destruction and pollution along the Mumbai coast are some of the major threats to molluscan fauna. Molluscs form a major group of organisms that makes-up an integral part of mangrove ecosystems. A study, carried out in 8 mangrove areas of Mumbai, west coast of India, from August 2015 to May 2016, revealed a distribution of 61 molluscan species, represented by 46 gastropods, 14 bivalves and 1 polyplacophora. The number of species reported from the study is the second highest for the mangrove ecosystems of India, after Andaman and Nicobar Islands mangroves. The study also reports 2 new distributional records for gastropods, namely Salinator fragilis and Auriculastra subula. The molluscan diversity was the highest in the mangroves of Versova, north-western Mumbai. The molluscan species diversity from mangrove ecosystem along the Mumbai coast has been documented in detail in order to provide useful baseline data for supporting conservation management.