Journal of the Marine Biological Association of India

Taxonomy of marine nematode assemblages along the central west coast of India

Volume 68 Issue 1

G. Sivaleela, S. Balakrishnan and R. Florence Suganya

doi:10.6024/jmbai.2026.68.1.2632-15

Abstract

The central west coast of India supports a rich diversity of meiofaunal communities. The present study focuses on documenting the most abundant meiofaunal taxa, the free-living nematodes, along the Malvan, Ratnagiri, and Goa coast. Sediment samples were collected from 22 intertidal sites using a hand corer. Post preservation and decantation, 240 free-living meiofaunal nematodes were sorted, and a total of 98 nematode species were identified, representing 6 orders, 20 families, and 53 genera. The survey yielded 1 new record for the Indian subcontinent and 5 new distributional records for the west coast of India. The family Xyalidae, with 26 species, was dominant, followed by the family Chromadoridae with 11 species. These findings contribute valuable baseline data for future meiofaunal studies along the Indian coastline.

Keywords

Central west coast, meiofauna, nematode assemblages, new distributional records

Date : 26-05-2026