MACROBENTHIC ECOLOGY OF KAKINADA BAY EAST COAST Of INDIA

Abstract

The present study examines historical perspectives of the macrobenthic community in newlineresponse to different phases of anthropogenic perturbations in a tropical embayment on the newlineeast coast of India. Investigations (2016-17) at 17 GPS fixed sites on the hydrography and newlinemacrobenthic epifauna of Kakinada Bay (82°15 and 82°20 E; 16°42 and 17°00 N) in the newlineGodavari delta, one of India s largest estuarine systems, yielded a total of 11540 individuals newlineof macrobenthos (collected by a naturalist dredge) represented by 79 species and 38 families newlineconsisting of 5 major taxa namely Cnidaria (1.67%), Brachyura (2.48%), Gastropoda newline(75.71%), Bivalvia (19.34%), and Echinodermata (0.16%). Among gastropods, Pirenella newlinecingulata (formerly Cerethedia cingulata), Paratectonatica tigrina and Nassarius stolatus newlinewere the most dominant taxa (68.85%). Venerid bivalves such as Tegillarca granosa, newlineParatapes undulatus and Anadara inaequivalvis were numerically the highest in comparison newlineto other species. newline