Study on Diversity and Distribution of Gastropod at Loej Coast, Arabian Sea, Gujarat, India
Minal Vadher
Department of Fisheries Resource Management, College of Fisheries Science, Veraval-362265, India.
Shubham Janbandhu *
Department of Fisheries Resource Management, College of Fisheries, Mangalore- 575002, India.
A. J. Bhatt
Department of Fisheries Resource Management, College of Fisheries Science, Veraval-362265, India.
Nehal Tandel
Department of Fisheries Resource Management, College of Fisheries Science, Veraval-362265, India.
Hitesh Kardani
Fisheries Research Station Sikka, Kamdhenu University, Gandhinagar - 382 010, India.
Jayesh Kuhada
Department of Fisheries Resource Management, College of Fisheries Science, Veraval-362265, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The present study was conducted in the intertidal area of the Loej coast, situated on the Saurashtra coast of Gujarat, from October 2021 to March 2022. This study provides the first baseline data on intertidal gastropod species along the Loej coast. The belt transect method was used for the quantitative and qualitative assessment of gastropods using a 1 m² quadrat. A total of 2,742 individuals were recorded during the study period, belonging to 9 orders, 17 families, 34 genera and 43 identified species of marine gastropods. Neogastropoda was the dominant order, with 21 species, followed by Caenogastropoda and Trochida. Muricidae was the dominant family, followed by Cerithiidae, Mitridae and Neritidae. The Shannon diversity index (H′) ranged from 2.291 to 2.554, and the Margalef index (D) ranged from 3.808 to 4.826 throughout the study period. The average Pielou's evenness (J) value was 0.4124, indicating that the Loej coast is a species-rich site for gastropod diversity. In this study, Lunella coronata exhibited the highest density, abundance and frequency, followed by Peronia verruculata and Cellana karachiensis.
Keywords: Gastropoda, intertidal zone, Loej coast, Saurashtra, Arabian Sea, species diversity, species richness, Shannon diversity index, Margalef richness index, Pielou’s evenness