Observations of copepod diversity in Bay of Bengal coast, during the cruise expedition

Abstract

Copepod being an important contributor for food chain the observation on diversity and abundance of copepod species determines the ecological condition of an aquatic environment. The study was conducted in the coast of Bay of Bengal from Chennai to Vijayawada during the cruise onboard research vessel ‘Sagar Tara’ in October 2022. The identified copepods were 24 species belonging to 17 families and three orders which is represented in the sequence Calanoida (83.8%), Cyclopoida (13.5%) and Harpacticoida (2.7%).In the present study it is observed that Calanoida dominates the Bay of Bengal region. Many studies have reported that Calanoida are the major group in the marine ecosystem. In the sampling sites maximum abundant species were recorded such as Acartia fossae, Paracalanus indicus, Subeucalanus flemingeri for calanoids, Corycaeus andrewsi, Corycaeus clausi for cyclopoids, Euterpina acutifrons, Clytemnestra scutellate for harpacticoids. The correlation matrix between the copepod density and physicochemical parameters results in positive correlation with temperature and negative correlation with salinity, pH and dissolved oxygen. The present study sheds light on the abundance and dominance of one group of copepods occurring in the Bay of Bengal region.