Checklist of Intertidal Benthic Macrofauna of a Brackish Water Coastal Lagoon on East Coast of India: The Chilika Lake

During the present inventory related to benthic macrofaunal assemblage in the intertidal region of outer channel area encompassing the period from 2007 to 2010, recorded a total of 135 species from 8 phyla. The phylum annelid became the major group having 46 species followed by mollusca with 41 species. The class polychaeta emerged as the dominant group with 39 species followed by the class bivalve having 21 species. Some of the taxa substantiated during the study period predominantly occurred throughout the study period were those of Spongilla alba , Membranipora bengalensis , Capitella capitata , Minuspio cirrifera , Heromastus filliformis , Grandidierella taihuensis , Niphargus chilkensis , Quadrimaera incerta , Ampithoe ramondi , Mesopodopsis orientalis , Ctenapseudes chilkensis , Alpheus edwardsii , Uca sp., Diogenes custos , Remipes sp., Amphibalanus Amphitrite , Chironomus , Lepas (Anatifa) anatifera , Meretrix meretrix , Mactra stultorum , Brachidontes striatulus , Solen annandalei , Crassostrea cuttackensis , Bufonaria echinata , Epitonium clathrus Nassarious stolatus , Umbonium vestiarium , Astropecten bengalensis , Ichthyocampus carce etc. One rare species namely Hippocampus fuscus was recorded during the present study from the sea grass meadows. Among environmental parameters salinity and chlorophyll a appeared as the major factor controlling the intertidal macrobenthos of outer channel area significantly . Strong seasonal heterogeneity was also observed in the environmental parameters like salinity, DO etc together with number of macrobenthos taxa. Among significant observation, higher number of macrobenthos taxa in summer season as compared to monsoon season in both years of study was evidenced . Since many of the newly occurring taxa in the lagoon premises were of typical marine forms observed during 2009-10 study year, hence the present study strongly supported that the opening of a new lagoon inlet have positive impact on benthic macrofaunal assemblage of the intertidal region.