Zooplankton distribution in Nethravati-Gurupur Estuary, Mangalore

Abstract

Qualitative and quantitative (Nos./m³) analyses of the zooplankton, collected for 13 months from 9 stations covering an area of 7.3 km², showed that the fauna were diverse in surface and in water column. The planktonic groups included copepods, cladocerans, chaetognaths, lucifers, appendicularians, hydromedusae, ctenophores, fish eggs and larvae and meroplankton. Copepods (with copepodites) formed the major component in all the samples. Absence of the some of the major groups during monsoon was very conspicuous.