Spatial distribution of the nematodes in the subtidal community of the Central West Coast of India with emphasis on Tershellingia longicaudata (Nematoda: Linhomoeidae)

Abstract

Meiofaunal nematodes are among the most important components of the benthic environment. They have unusually high abundance and diversity. They are largely understudied in many parts of the world and explored very little from the Indian subcontinent, possibly due to lack of expertise. Meiofauna was investigated with emphasis on nematodes, which were the most dominant group and one species - Terschellingia longicaudata (De Man, 1907) - along the central west coast of India, stretching between Ratnagiri and Mangalore, during 2004. Maximum nematode diversity was found at the offshore location at the water depth of 35 m, while the minimum was found in the estuarine region. Nematode density was positively correlated with sediment organic matter (r= 0.73, p< 0.05). Among the 94 identified nematode species, T. longicaudata was one of the dominant species comprising >21% of nematodes and 15% of the total meiofaunal population. The species had high abundance at the stations mostly characterized by silty sediment. T. longicaudata has been hypothesized to have a global distribution and the present study, for the first time, adds to the inventory of its distribution along the central west coast of India.