Publication Date:
2022-08-04
Description:
The genus Desmopterus (Pseudothecosomata, Gastropoda) includes two species. They are D. papilio Chun 1889 and D. gardineri T esch 1910. Both are tropical species having widespread distribution between 40° N and 40° S. D. papilio is common in occurrence, but D. gardineri is very rare. The present study on Zooplankton collections of the International Indian Ocean Expedition (IIOE) reveals that D. papilio is abundant in the area off the Somali coast, Gulf of Aden, South Arabian coast, Gulf of Oman, West coast of Pakistan, South-West coast of India, northern and Western Bay of Bengal, Southern Andaman Sea and North-West Australian Sea. The highest abundance was noticed in the area off Cochin. D. gardineri is relatively common in the Bay of Bengal, equatorial Zone and North-West Australian Sea. The seasonal Variation in spatial abundance shows that D. papilio is distinctly more abundant during the period dominated by the North-East Monsoon in the North Indian Ocean. Along 110° E two maxima were found, one during April—August between 9° and 11° S and another during November—February between 17° and 23° S. D. gardineri occurs mainly between April and August. The distribution in relation to the thermocline shows that D. papilio is almost uniformly abundant above and below the thermocline during day and night. But D. gardineri was almost absent above the thermocline. Therefore the thermocline appears to be a barrier for the distribution of D. gardineri.
Type:
Article
,
PeerReviewed
Format:
text
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