Idrees Babu

• MSc PhD
• Scientist at Department of Science & Technology, U.T.of Lakshadweep, Govt of India

Key Points: • Animals show Symbiotic relationships for protection, reproduction, and nutrition, often switching their hosts or species over time. • Suheli Island, an uninhabited atoll in the Lakshadweep archipelago, features a 17 km oval lagoon, supporting diverse marine habitats. • This study records the first occurrence of the emperor shrimp (Zen...

The study of microplastics (MP) in the Eastern Arabian Sea (EAS) offers globally relevant insights into the pressing issue of marine plastic pollution. Quantification results (mean concentration of 0.13 particles m-3 and range of 0.02–0.71 particles m-3) from the various sectors suggest that terrestrial activities are an important source of MP. By...

The achievements in successfully establishing coral nurseries using asexually reproduced transplants in Kavaratti Island, Lakshadweep archipelago are presented. During the present study, the survival and growth of 180 fragments of corals fixed on concrete blocks with iron frames laid over a 40 m2 area near reefs inside the lagoon of Kavaratti atoll...

Corals are colonized by a plethora of microorganisms, and their diversity plays a significant role in the health and resilience of corals when they face oxidative stress leading to bleaching. In the current study, we examined 238 bacteria isolated from five different coral species (Acropora hyacinthus, Pocillopora damicornis, Podabacea crustacea, P...

Plastic litter carrying pathogenic bacteria pose serious threats to the health of human and aquatic life. We enumerated the abundance of Escherichia coli and Vibrio species in different types of plastic litter (biomedical, food packages, sanitary, fishing material and miscellaneous) collected from the beaches of Agatti and Kavaratti in the Lakshadw...

Lakshadweep is an archipelago of 36 islands located in the Southeastern Arabian Sea. In the absence of a detailed archaeological record, the human settlement timing of this island is vague. Previous genetic studies on haploid DNA makers suggested sex-biased ancestry linked to North and South Indian populations. Maternal ancestry suggested a closer...

Ocean zoning through marine spatial planning (MSP) is an important component of the blue economy and has become an essential step towards realizing ecosystem-based sea-use management. The concept was primarily initiated by the need to create marine protected areas, particularly in the European countries. An even more recent concern has focused on t...

The prehistoric human settlement of the Lakshadweep islands remains a mystery for various reasons. Uncertainty about the existence of indigenous tribes in these islands and the lack of folklore records present major obstacles to the reconstruction of Lakshadweep ancestry. However, with extant population data, we seek to understand the maternal ance...

Gephyroberyx darwinii (Johnson 1866) (Beryciformes: Trachychthyidae) was collected from Lakshadweep Island, the Indian Ocean. The species has a circumglobal distribution with a gap from the Bay of Bengal to the Western Indian Ocean. The present report fills a wide gap in the distributional record of the species with reference voucher specimen and b...

The genus Parapercis Bleeker (1863) is widely reported, with three recent new records from Indian waters. During the biodiversity assessment surveys, Black dotted sand perch, Parapercis millepunctata (Günther 1860), is collected from the outer reef slope of Kavaratti Island, Lakshadweep, India. The present record forms the report from the west coas...

Corals are the visible indicators of the disasters induced by global climate change and anthropogenic activities and have become a highly vulnerable ecosystem on the verge of extinction. Multiple stressors could act individually or synergistically which results in small to large scale tissue degradation, reduced coral covers, and makes the corals v...

Lakshadweep is one of the least exploited areas worldwide, renowned for its unique atolls and remarkable aquatic life. Like every other place on Earth, the impact of anthropogenic activities is changing this ecosystem and it can be felt at the microbial level too. In this regard, the influence of antibiotics is an inevitable one. It is a proven fac...

The present report is based on one male specimen of lattice soldierfishes, Myripristis violacea Bleeker, 1851 and one Myripristis hexagona (Lacepede, 1802) collected from the Amini lagoon (11.1142° N, 72.7204° E) of Lakshadweep. The lattice soldierfish, Myripristis violacea, and Myripristis hexagona are recorded for the first time from Lakshadweep...

A single female juvenile specimen of Stethojulis bandanensis (Bleeker, 1851) was collected from Kavaratti Island. The species showed a circumglobal distribution with a gap from the Bay of Bengal to the Western Indian Ocean. The present report fills a wide gap in the distributional record of the species to confirmation with reference voucher specime...

Polychaetes symbiotic with echinoderms (sea stars, brittle stars, feather stars, basket stars, sea cucumbers, and sea urchins) possess remarkable diversification in the Indo-Pacific. In the present study, one species of polychaetes symbiotic with crinoids are recorded based on collections from selected Islands Kadmat, Amini, Suheli, Kavaratti, and...

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The genus Physiculus is widespread in the Indo-Pacific with more than 32 valid species, and about 12 species were recorded only from the Indian Ocean. Two new species similar to each other are collected from the outer reef drop off of Kavaratti Island, Lakshadweep, India, Arabian Sea and described. Physiculus indicus sp. nov. is characterised by it...

Erosion along Kavaratti Island has intensified in recent times due to infrastructure development and natural phenomenon. Numerical models were used to identify suitable foreshore protection structures, considering the near-shore coastal processes. For this purpose, shoreline change around the island was obtained from field surveys and results of th...

We provide an updated checklist of fishes of the families Serranidae and Epinephelidae reported or listed from India, along with photographs. A total of 120 fishes in this group are listed as occurring in India based on published literature, of which 25 require further confirmation and validation. We confirm here the presence of at least 95 species...

The coral reefs of the Lakshadweep archipelago harbour significant sea cucumber resources. The paper discusses the habitat-wise variability of sea cucumbers observed during a series of surveys in this atolls. The western side lagoon areas and eastern intertidal areas of the atolls showed maximum diversity and species richness. One of the northernmo...

Phenacoscorpius adenensis Norman 1939, a rare deepwater scorpionfish was collected from Kavaratti Island, Lakshadweep Archipelago, and reported for the first time from the Central Indian Ocean and Indian waters. P. adenensis, which is morphologically similar to many closely related species, is described, and the specimen is preserved, catalogued an...

The coral reefs of the Lakshadweep archipelago harbour significant sea cucumber resources. The paper discusses the habitat-wise variability of sea cucumbers observed during a series of surveys in this atolls. The western side lagoon areas and eastern intertidal areas of the atolls showed maximum diversity and species richness. One of the northernmo...

Phenacoscorpius adenensis Norman 1939, a rare deepwater scorpionfish was collected from Kavaratti Island, Lakshadweep Archipelago, and reported for the first time from the Central Indian Ocean and Indian waters. P. adenensis, which is morphologically similar to many closely related species, is described, and the specimen is preserved, catalogued an...

A new species of deepwater cardinalfish, Epigonus indicus, is described from two specimens, 105.2 and 100.2 mm SL, from Kavaratti Island, Lakshadweep (Laccadive) Sea, India. The specimens were collected from storage tanks at a desalination plant where seawater was piped up from 350-400 m depths. Diagnostic features distinguishing the new species fr...

Two species of crinoids associated crabs of the family Pilumnidae, Permanotus purpureus (Gordon 1934) and Tiaramedon spinosum (Miers 1879) previously recorded from the southwest Pacific in Indonesia, is reported for the first time from the Indian Ocean, which is a significant expansion of their distribution range. We also provide the first document...

The paper presents three new records of brittle stars for Indian waters, collected from the Lakshadweep atolls (northern Indian Ocean)-Ophiarachnella septemspinosa (Müller & Troschel, 1842), Ophiocoma cynthiae Benavides-Serrato & O'Hara, 2008 & Ophiomoeris obstricta (Lyman, 1878). Further, this paper also discusses the validity of two recently desc...

A biodiversity survey carried out from 2016 to 2018 by the Department of Science and Technology in the Lakshadweep Atolls, India, recorded six species of shallow-water feather stars new to the archipelago (Comanthus wahlbergii, Comaster schlegelii, Himerometra robustipinna, Dichrometra palmata, Stephanometra indica, and Phanogenia typica). Himerome...

The Kavaratti Island of Lakshadweep archipelago exhibits high coastal erosion and shoreline changes due to the anthropogenic stresses on the island morphology. This study focuses on the shoreline analysis using Digital Shoreline Analysis System model and nearshore sediment dynamics using an integrated modeling system with high resolution bathymetry...

The Kavaratti Island of Lakshadweep archipelago exhibits high coastal erosion and shoreline changes due to the anthropogenic stresses on the island morphology. This study focuses on the shoreline analysis using Digital Shoreline Analysis System model and nearshore sediment dynamics using an integrated modeling system with high resolution bathymetry...

Two species of crinoids associated crabs of the family Pilumnidae, Permanotus purpureus (Gordon 1934) and Tiaramedon spinosum (Miers 1879) previously recorded from the southwest Pacific in Indonesia, is reported for the first time from the Indian Ocean, which is a significant expansion of their distribution range. We also provide the first document...

This is a poster presentation at MECOS 3

Sea cucumbers (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea) is one of the important component of healthy coral reef ecosystems. Holothuroidea is widely distributed tropical and temperate regions of the world. The Lakshadweep islands harbour a wide diversity of holothurian resources. Present article discuss the habitat wise variability of holothurians observed dur...

Echinoderms, one of the most important groups of marine living beings, particularly in the coral reefs, play an important functional role in the marine environment. Lakshadweep constitutes the only atoll formation in India and forms the northernmost segment of the Chagos – Maldives - Laccadive oceanic ridge. The present article provides the status...

The status of community structure and coral health, crucial aspects for developing baseline information on coral reefs were not documented till the mass bleaching event of 1998 from Lakshadweep Islands, India. In an attempt to create accurate baseline information on reef structures through intensive long-term monitoring, data from these reefs were...

The crab fauna (Crustacea: Brachyura) of Lakshadweep (Laccadives), a group of Indian islands in the western Indian Ocean is updated, using material from the intertidal and shallow subtidal areas collected between 2012 and 2015. Fifty-three species were recorded during this study, of which 17 species are newly recorded from the islands, and three ar...

The archipelago of Lakshadweep is considered as a stopover to the maritime route since ancient time. It is not very clear when the human first occupied these islands, however in the long history of the islands, the local legends suggest that Lakshadweep has been ruled by different kingdoms. To have a better understanding of peopling of Lakshadweep,...

Two female specimens of the Furry Lobster Palinurellus wieneckii (De Man, 1881) with a total length of 118mm and 114mm, respectively, were obtained from the coral reefs off Kavaratti Island, Laccadive Islands, west of India. Only two species are currently recognized in this genus, which were described from a small number of specimens. As P. wieneck...

Nardoa frianti Koehler, 1910 is reported for the first time from the Arabian Sea, Western Indian Ocean, from a depth of 15 m along the east coast of Kavaratti Island during November 2017. Nardoa frianti, initially described from the Andaman Sea, Eastern Indian Ocean and the species has subsequently been recorded up to North Pacific Ocean. The prese...

The study addressed the impact of the El Niño 2015–2016 on the ecosystem functioning and the subsequent effects on the distribution and community structure of zooplankton in the Kavaratti reef, a prominent coral atoll in the tropical Indian Ocean. The elevated ocean temperature (SST) associated with El Niño resulted in a mass bleaching event affect...

Molluscan faunal studies are currently being carried out across the Lakshadweep Archipelago under the ongoing project Marine Biodiversity Documentation of Lakshadweep Archipelago, Department of Science and Technology, Lakshadweep Administration. During the survey of intertidal and subtidal reefs, we came across specimens of Septa hepatica (Röding,...

Distribution pattern and community structure of Sea cucumber (Class: Holothuroidea) was investigated in different biogeographic region of three atolls of Agatti, Kavaratti, Kalpeni islands of Lakshadweep archipelago. Holothuria atra and H. leucospilota were randomly distributed in Agatti atoll while they showed aggregated distribution pattern in Ka...

Despite large herbivorous fish being generally accepted as the main group responsible for preventing algal accumulation on coral reefs, few studies have experimentally examined the relative importance of herbivore size on algal communities. This study used exclusion cages with two different mesh sizes (1 × 1 cm and 6 × 6 cm) to investigate the impa...

Out of the 24 species of marine molluscs included in Schedule I and IV of the Wildlife (Protection) Act (WPA) of India, 19 species were recorded from the coastal waters of Lakshadweep. A recent survey conducted by the authors recorded the presence of 14 scheduled molluscs in Lakshadweep. Scheduled species such as Placuna placenta (recorded from Kav...

Out of the 24 species of marine molluscs included in Schedule I and IV of the Wildlife (Protection) Act (WPA) of India, 19 species were recorded from the coastal waters of Lakshadweep. A recent survey conducted by the authors recorded the presence of 14 scheduled molluscs in Lakshadweep. Scheduled species such as Placuna placenta (recorded from Kav...

Crown-of-Thorns (COT) predation off Kavaratti and Agatti islands in the Lakshadweep reef system has increased sporadically in recent years and appears to be approaching outbreak status, as indicated by a study of the starfish’s spatial progression along 16 transects off each island between 2010 and 2012. Infestation along one transect rose from 3 C...

Five new records of Butterflyfishes (Family: Chaetodontidae), viz. Chaetodon andamanensis, C. decussatus, C. guttatissimus, C. interruptus and C. lineolatus, are reported from the atolls of Lakshadweep archipelago, India. The occurrence of four additional species viz. C. madagaskariensis, C. triangulum, Forcipiger longirostris and Heniochus pleurot...

The fish diversity of Androth, the largest island among Lakshadweep Archipelago, has not yet been surveyed or documented. Since Androth showed characteristics of a mature island, without a prominent lagoon area, the researchers have not explored the island for its fishery resources. However, the Androth Island has vast intertidal area around it, wh...

This is a report of the Community based Socioeconomic Monitoring program carried out in Agatti Island from October 2010 to December 2011.The program was initiated with the premise that long term sustainability for coral reef management and monitoring programs can be ensured, if the local community participate and feel a sense of ownership in the pr...

The caridean shrimp family Gnathophyllidae currently comprises five genera: Gnathophyllum Latreille, 1819; Gnathophylloides Schmitt, 1933; Pycnocaris Bruce, 1972; Levicaris Bruce, 1973a and Gnathophylleptum d’Udekem d’Acoz, 2001, the last three genera being monotypic (De Grave et al., 2009). The original description of Pycnocaris chagoae Bruce, 197...

Giant clams are endangered in many parts of their Indo-Pacific range owing to adult specific overharvesting that threatens recruitment, a demographic parameter exhibiting high sensitivity to environmental disturbances and adult densities among tridacnids. Lakshadweep reefs are not subjected to commercial giant clam fishery, and population assessmen...

More recent studies are underway in the context of a three-year (2005–8) Darwin Initiative (UK government) project to establish marine protected areas (MPAs) in the archipelago. The ecological research component of the project is lead by the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), and LEAD International (UK) is facilitating the socio-economic resear...