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

Abstract

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 brachyuran crabs, 4 alpheid shrimps, 1 barnacle, 9 echinoderms and 7 species of ascidians were recorded. While the intertidal biodiversity from the sea wall was represented by 73 species, 128 species were recorded from the rocky shore. The anomuran crab <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Clibanarius virescens</i> (Krauss), the brachyuran crabs <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Acetea depressa</i> (White), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Micropanape obtusidens</i> (Sakai), <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Sargassocarcinus cristatus</i> (Balss) and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Eurynome orientalis</i> (Sakai) and the alpheid shrimps, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Synalpheus stimpsonii</i> De Man and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Alpheus</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">lottini</i> Guérin-Méneville are reported for the first time in India. Shannon and richness index values were higher for the rocky shore, while the species dominance was higher in the sea wall.