Biodiversity Studies on Branchiopod Fauna of Lower Deltaic Region Of River Krishna and its Environs

摘要

Biodiversity is the variety and variability among living organisms and the ecological complexes in which they occur. The subclass Branchiopoda under the class Crustacea forms a significant planktonic group of the inland water bodies. This group,in turn is constituted by six orders, viz., Anostraca, Cyclestherida, Spinicaudata, Laevicaudata, Notostraca and Cladocera. Despite their crucial role as secondary producers in food cycles of freshwater ecosystems, these organisms received scant attention in respect of their taxonomy as evidenced by the sporadic reports in literature. The lower deltaic region of river Krishna and its environs support a variety of aquatic biotopes such as seasonal rain-fed pools, canal-fed semi perennial and perennial ponds and irrigation canals. Many of these water bodies have not been investigated for the diversity and distribution of branchiopod fauna. Hence, the present study was undertaken to establish the diversity and distribution of branchiopod fauna in the lower deltaic region of river Krihsna and its environs from July 1973 to July 2004. In the present study intensive collections for branchiopod fauna were made from different habitats in this region. The work brought a total of 43 branchiopod species . Among them 38 'species are recorded for the first time from Andhra Pradesh, incidentally, 30 species among them are new to South India. Four species are reported for the first time from India. A species namely Eulimnadia gunturensis is described as new to science.