Distribution Patterns of Key Gastropods (Mollusca) Species Along the Intertidal Zone of Adri Coast, Kathiawar Peninsula, India

Abstract

Distribution patterns of key gastropod species were studied on a rocky-sandy intertidal zone of Adri coast of Kathiawar peninsula. The studied coast has an ideal habitat for intertidal ecological studies. It has rich marine faunal and floral diversity devoid of any anthropogenic pressure. The present study was focused on distribution pattern of dominating intertidal gastropods species that considered as the most communal inhabitants of the intertidal zone worldwide. The coast has both rocky and sandy intertidal area with rock crevices and small to large pools and puddles. Physico-chemical parameters of seawater and ecological attributes like density, abundance, and frequency of five gastropod species Astralium semicostatum, Cerithium caeruleum, Gyrenium natator, Nerita albicilla and Onchidium verruculatum have been studied. Result indicates that all the species have their distinct preference for intertidal microhabitats like rocks, puddles, crevices and different substrata. The species has different strategies for the selection of microhabitat for their survival particularly in extreme environment of low tide when desiccation is at maximum.