Diversity of planktonic Ostracods (Crustacea: Ostracoda) in the mixed layer of northeastern Arabian Sea during the summer monsoon

Planktonic ostracods contribute significantly to the biomass of zooplankton in the Arabian Sea with an unusually high density due to swarming.  However, due to the small size, their abundance is often underestimated.  In this paper, the diversity of planktonic ostracods in the mixed layer depth of the northeastern Arabian Sea in relation to environmental parameters during the summer monsoon is presented.  The mean abundance in the mixed layer depth was very high.  About 26 species belonging to 17 genera representing two families were recognized.  Out of this, 25 species belonged to (3 sub families, 16 genera) the order Myodocopa and one to the order Myodocopida.  The dominant species were Cypridina dentata , Euconchoecia aculeata, Conchoecia subarcuata and Orthoconchoecia atlantica.  Cypridina dentata and Euconchoecia aculeata contributed to about 89% of the total abundance.  The results suggest that the distribution and diversity of ostracods were very much influenced by the hydrographic conditions of the Arabian Sea during the summer monsoon.