Ravinesh R

Centre For Marine Living Resources and Ecology | CMLRE · Deep Ocean Mission

A new species of finless ophichthid eel, Apterichtus nanjilnaduensis is described based on six specimens collected from the Arabian Sea. The new species is diagnosed by the following combination of characters: head length 11.0–13.5, tail length 1.8–2.0, body depth 55.4–86.7 in total length; anterior margin of eye behind tip of lower jaw; 3 preoperc...

A new species of deep-sea thyasirid (Bivalvia: Thyasiridae), Ascetoaxinus ravichandrani sp. nov., is described and illustrated from material collected in the northern Indian Ocean during the FORV Sagar Sampada deep-sea cruise no. 404. Specimens were collected from a depth between 1007 m and 1038 m off Kanyakumari, Gulf of Mannar, Tamil Nadu, South...

KEYWORDS The Gulf of Mannar between India and Sri Lanka is a biodiversity hotspot renowned for its coral reefs, seagrass beds, and mangrove ecosystems. This region, especially the Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere Reserve (GOMMBR), supports a diverse array of marine species, many of which are of ecological and economic importance, and this paper reco...

Hashim M. (2022) New distributional record of deep-water Phos gemmulifer Kilburn, 2000 (Buccinoidea: Nassariidae) from the Andaman Sea. Strombus 28(1-2): 6-11. Abstract: The present paper records the occurrence of Phos gemmulifer Kilburn, 2000 in the Great Nicobar Islands, Andaman Sea. The record of the specimen from the Andaman Sea shows the exten...

Studies on deepwater molluscs are few and far between. Seven species under the genus Propeamussium have been previously recorded from India. The present paper reports new distribution of Propeamussium sibogai (Dautzenberg and Bavay, 1904) from the Indian coastal waters.

The first comprehensive guide to the molluscs of the Gulf of Mannar — The Molluscs of Gulf of Mannar, India and Adjacent Waters: A Fully Illustrated Guide — provides a detailed pictorial portrayal of 1041 species of molluscs, including 722 gastropods, 287 bivalves, 7 scaphopods, 21 cephalopods and 4 polyplacophorans. This field guide sums up two de...

The Conidae are predatory marine gastropods and they produce one of the most potent venoms in nature. They are ecologically vital for regulating trophic positions and act as primary carnivores in oceans. Amateur shell collectors target some species and ecosystems are intensively exploited by collectors of ornamental shells and commercial traders. M...

The recent destruction and deterioration of the environment in the Anthropocene have led to a worldwide decline in biodiversity. This demands the precise identification and cataloging of the current biodiversity before they vanish and prioritize conservation programs for the threatened species. For beginners in biodiversity and taxonomy research on...

The present study reports an unusual caligid copepod, Anchicaligus nautili (Willey, 1896) infesting the deep-water chambered nautilus Nautilus pompilius Linnaeus, 1758 from the Indian Ocean. Both male and female are redescribed and illustrated based on the materials recovered from the museum collection of the Department of Aquatic Biology & Fisheri...

The present study reports an unusual caligid copepod, Anchicaligus nautili (Willey, 1896) infesting the deep-water chambered nautilus Nautilus pompilius Linnaeus, 1758 from the Indian Ocean. Both male and female are redescribed and illustrated based on the materials recovered from the museum collection of the Department of Aquatic Biology & Fisheri...

The survey of molluscan fauna of Ashtamudi estuary of the southwest coast of India recorded the presence of 119 species classified under 3 classes (Polyplacophora, Gastropoda and Bivalvia), 57 families and 96 genera. The species diversity was dominated by the Gastropoda (69 species), followed by the Bivalvia (49 species) and the Polyplacophora (1 s...

The identification poster for Protected Molluscs (Seashells) of India have been developed to help wildlife law enforcement agencies identify various species of molluscs in illegal wildlife trade. This provides quick reference to important information about the species in focus such as their reported legal and conservation status, distribution, iden...

The neritiform gastropods Plesiothyreus cinnamomeus (Gould, 1846) was collected from Indian coast for the first time and Zacalantica galathea (Lamarck, 1819) for the first time from the recorded from Lakshadweep Sea, west coast of India. The record of Plesiothyreus cinnamomeus confirms the extended distribution of the species from the Pacific Ocean...

The marine environment with its vast biodiversity is a rich source of natural products and sponges which harbor several microbes are valuable sources with immense pharmaceutical potential. Three marine sponges, Tedania anhelans, Myxilla arenaria, Callyspongia fibrosa which are relatively common along the east and west coasts of India were collected...

The present paper records the occurrence of Pseudoliotia reeviana (Hinds, 1843) from Gulf of Mannar, India. The record of the specimen from the Gulf of Mannar shows the extended distribution of the species from Pacific ocean to Central Indian ocean.

The identity of Nepinnotheres vicajii (Chhapgar, 1957) (described as Pinnotheres vicajii) (Pinnotheridae), a pea crab associated with the bivalve Marcia recens (Holten, 1802), is clarified. On the basis of re-diagnosis of holotype male and freshly collected female specimens from its type locality, P. vicajii is now assigned to Arcotheres Manning, 1...

Diversity studies of endophytic assemblages are emerging challenges, which unveils novel phenotypes producing interesting chemical entities and a better understanding of their ecological significance. In the present investigation, we selected an extremely complex and unique environment supporting unexplored endophytes, 'Macroalgae of Kerala Coast,...

Two species of the mud shrimp genus Upogebia Leach, 1814 (Gebiidea: Upogebiidae) are recorded from India for the first time based on material from Tamil Nadu: U. hexaceras (Ortmann, 1894) and U. nithyanandan (Sakai, Türkay & Al Aidaroos, 2015). Both were found in burrows in an unidentified sponge. Upogebia nithyanandan is resurrected as a valid spe...

Bioinvasion is a growing concern in aquatic ecosystems as it severely impacts biodiversity, causing ecosystem changes and heavy economic losses. The invasive bivalve mussel Mytella strigata (Hanley, 1843) is spreading in many estuarine ecosystems and brackishwater lakes in Kerala coast. Its rapid spread across the state might have been triggered by...

The short neck clam, which forms the major resource of Ashtamudi Lake, Kerala, India is economically very significant and the fishery has gained India's first Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification. All published reports hitherto from the Ashtamudi Lake recorded the short-neck clam as Paphia malabarica (Dillwyn, 1817) now synonymised with P...

Species diversity is an important measure of environmental change in the ocean and serves as rapid responders of climate induced changes. Studies on marine biodiversity gives us a clear idea on the resource assessment of any biotype and ensures the sustainable use of coastal habitat. The present study is aimed at the identification, molecular chara...

Species diversity is an important measure of environmental change in the ocean and serves as rapid responders of climate induced changes. Studies on marine biodiversity gives us a clear idea on the resource assessment of any biotype and ensures the sustainable use of coastal habitat. The present study is aimed at the identification, molecular chara...

The rare raninid crab Umalia trirufomaculata (Davie and Short, 1989) is recorded from India for the first time. It is redescribed and compared at length with the related but poorly known U. misakiensis (Sakai, 1937) on the basis of a good series of specimens from the Philippines. Some of the supposed differences which have been documented between t...

First record and range extension of Liotina cycloma Tomlin, 1918 (Gastropoda: Liotiidae) to the Central Indian Ocean

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...

Molluscan Fauna Of Asthamudi Lake, Kerala, India

A sponge-associated actinomycete (strain MCCB267) was isolated from a marine sponge Mycale sp. collected in the Indian Ocean off the Southeast coast of India. Phylogenetic studies of this strain using 16S rRNA gene sequencing showed high sequence similarity to Streptomyces zhaozhouensis. However, strain MCCB267 showed distinct physiological and bio...

This article contains the status of Scheduled Mollusc species listed in the Wildlife Protection Act of India (1972), updated list of valid names (accepted taxonomic names), illegal trade and need for capacity building for frontline staff. Many of the genus and species are printed together without space and hence readers are requested to carefully...

Sustainable and renewable energy sources viz., lignocelluloses have recently gained eminence globally in biofuel production while a major bottleneck in the production process is the cost of cellulase. Utilization of cheap carbohydrate sources like plant biomass and choice of cellulolytic fungi over bacteria for better yield would be an attractive o...

The economically valuable bivalve mollusc, known as the short-neck clam, is the major fishery resource of the brackishwater Ashtamudi Lake in Kerala, India. This fishery carries a Marine Stewardship Council certification for sustainability wherein it and all hitherto published reports identify the short-neck clam or yellow-foot clam as Paphiamalaba...

In this paper current knowledge on the diversity of the gastropod cephalaspidean genus Haminoea from India is revised. A comprehensive literature review was undertaken and novel specimens were collected. Specimens from India were DNA barcoded using the gene cytochrome c oxidase sub-unit I and a Bayesian gene tree together with an Automatic Barcode...

A new species of the hermit crab genus Diogenes Dana, 1851, D. spongicola, is described and illustrated on the basis of material collected from two locations off southern India. It appears close to D. takedai Rahayu, 2012 among about 70 congeners, but easily differentiated from the latter by the spinulose anterolateral margins of the shield, the ar...

Lakshadweep, the northernmost region of the Chagos-Maldives-Lakshadweep group of islands located southwest of the Malabar coast of India in the Arabian Sea, is the only chain of coral atolls in India. This paper documents the diversity of the molluscan family Conidae from the seas around all ten inhabited islands of Lakshadweep. Of the 78 species o...

Endophytes are microbial symbionts residing plant organs asymptomatically. Being the inhabitants of virtually all plants reported to date, more than one endophyte take up residence in every single flora. Internal tissues of macroalgae are one of the unexploited niche of marine fungi. Present study focus on endophytic assemblages of three brown alga...

This paper records the first report of the Winged Thecacera, Thecacera pennigera from southwest coast of India and discusses the possible mode of its spread in Indian coastal waters.

The zig zag venus clam Lioconcha rumphii van der Meij, Moolenbeek & Dekker, 2010 was collected for the first time from Lakshadweep, India, Central Indian Ocean. This paper discusses the taxonomic status and distribution of this species.

Among the 373 species of opisthobranchs reported from India, 92 are from Lakshadweep. This paper documents 11 species of opisthobranch fauna from Lakshadweep Islands, classified under the families Haminoeidae, Colpodaspididae, Volvatellidae, Dendrodorididae, Chromodorididae, Goniodorididae, Embletoniidae, and Tergipedidae, of which five are new rec...

The survey of biodiversity associated with mussel beds (Perna perna) of Vizhinjam coast of India from the High Intertidal Zone (HIZ), Mid Intertidal Zone (MIZ) and Low Intertidal Zone (LIZ) recorded a total of 114 species of organisms including of Algae /sea weeds (10 species), Porifera (3 species), Cnidaria (1 species), Platyhelminthes (1 species)...

In India the rare brown paper nautilus Argonauta hians Lightfoot, 1786 was recorded from Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Gulf of Mannar and Maharastra. This paper records the occurrence of A. hians for the first time from the southwest coast of India.

A new species of deep-water oregoniid spider crab of the genus Pleistacantha Miers, 1879, is described from the Indian Ocean. The species is distinct in possessing a prominently inflated carapace in which the median parts of the branchial regions almost meet. It can also be distinguished from its closest congeners, P. moseleyi (Miers, 1885), P. pun...

Opisthobranchs are gastropod molluscs with highly diverse body forms, cryptic colouration, diets and habitats, and represent one of the least studied molluscan taxa in India, especially along the southwest coast of India. This paper documents the presence of 15 species of nudibranchs under the families Chromodorididae, Discodorididae, Phyllidiidae...

Climate change is a vital environmental issue affecting nature and distribution of biodiversity. As the economy of developing countries depends primarily upon climate-sensitive sectors such as agriculture, fisheries and forestry, a holistic analysis of climate change and its implications on biodiversity is warranted in order to achieve sustainable...

The black-ringed Aplysia was reported in Indian taxonomic records as Aplysia dactylomela Rang, 1828. This paper confirms that the Indian species records of A. dactylomela represents Aplysia argus Rüppell & Leuckart, 1830, based on morpho-molecular approach.

Taxonomy of Marine Molluscs of India: Status and Challenges Ahead

This paper documents the record of Conus vicweei Old, 1973 for the first time from Indian coastal waters, recording extended distribution of this species from northern to western Indian Ocean.

Sand Auditing of a Tropical River System- A Case Study of Vamanapuram River, Kerala, India

Th thin shelled pectinoidean bivalve, Propeamussium arabicum is a molluscan species originally described from Gulf of Aden. Ths paper records the fist report of this species in Indian coast and explains the extended distribution of the species towards eastern Arabian Sea.

The thin shelled pectinoidean bivalve, Propeamussium arabicum is a molluscan species originally described from Gulf of Aden. This paper records the first report of this species in Indian coast and explains the extended distribution of the species towards eastern Arabian Sea.

The thin shelled pectinoidean bivalve, Propeamussium arabicum is a molluscan species originally described from Gulf of Aden. This paper records the first report of this species in Indian coast and explains the extended distribution of the species towards eastern Arabian Sea.

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...

THE MOLLUSCAN FAUNA OF LAKSHADWEEP INCLUDED IN VARIOUS SCHEDULES OF WILDLIFE (PROTECTION) ACT OF INDIA

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...

Abstarct: A consolidated checklist of extant marine molluscs from Lakshadweep coast is presented for the first time. The checklist documents 768 species of molluscs classified under 4 classes, 37 orders, 72 super families, 140 families and 377 genera. It also provides the details of 21 species of molluscs recorded from the islands that are categori...

Abstarct: A consolidated checklist of extant marine molluscs from Lakshadweep coast is presented for the first time. The checklist documents 768 species of molluscs classified under 4 classes, 37 orders, 72 super families, 140 families and 377 genera. It also provides the details of 21 species of molluscs recorded from the islands that are categori...

Diversity of Marine Molluscs of Lakshadweep islands: Present Status and Challenges for Sustainable Utilization

The coastal and marine environs have some of the richest biodiversity areas. Kavaratti island of Lakshadweep, located 360 km off the coast of the state of Kerala at 10.57°N - 72.62°E and occupying an area of 4.22 sq. km. is an atoll. Despite its small size, it has unique biodiversity. They include extensive areas of complex and specialized habitats...

The presence of the sea slug Polybranchia orientalis(Sacoglossa: Caliphyllidae) is recorded for the first time from Vizhinjam,Kovalam and Thirumullavaram located along the south-west coast of India. The specimens were obtained from the greenalgal mats of Caulerpa peltata in December 2013

The fasciolariid snail Granulifusus poppei was collected for the first time from the Kerala coast, India. The record of the specimen from the Arabian Sea shows the extended distribution of the species from Somalia to India in the western Indian Ocean.

The presence of the sea slug Polybranchia orientalis (Sacoglossa: Caliphyllidae) is recorded for the first time from Vizhinjam, Kovalam and Thirumullavaram located along the south-west coast of India. The specimens were obtained from the green algal mats of Caulerpa peltata in December 2013.

Intertidal biodiversity associated with natural rocky shore at Kovalam and artificial sea wall at Vizhinjam, Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala, was compared during the study. A total of 147 species, including 32 seaweeds, 11 sponges, 6 coelenterates, 2 bryozoans, 31 molluscs, 7 annelids, 2 sipunculids, 6 isopods, 12 amphipods, 1 hermit crab, 16...

Comparison of intertidal biodiversity associated with natural rocky shore and sea wall: A case study from the Kerala coast, India

The dendrodorid slug Dendrodoris coronata (Kay & Young, 1969) was collected for the first time from Kadmat Island, Lakshadweep, India. This record confirms the extended known range of D. coronata into the Western Indian Ocean.