Aquatic ecology and Biodiversity

Unit 10- Coastal ecosystems

10.4.4. Flora and fauna of mangroves
Plants
About 50 mangrove species that are found worldwide belong to 20 genera in 16 families, although two families, Avicenniaceae and Rhizophoraceae dominate in terms of number of species and abundance. The most common genera include Rhizophora (red mangrove), Avicennia (balck mangrove), Aegiceros, Laguncularia, Lumnitzera, Bruguiera, Ceriops, Sonneratia, Xylocarpus, Heritiera etc.
Microalgae
Mangroves are rich in phytoplankton species such as Navicula, Thalassiothrix, Pleurosigma, Ceratium, Peridinium, etc.
Animals
Invertebrates
• Zooplankton: Foraminiferans, copepods, rotifers, cladocerans etc.
• Annelida: Polychaete (Arenicola sp.)
• Marine Prawns: Penaeus spp., Metapenaeus spp., Acetus indicus, etc.Snapping prawn: Alpheus spp.; Mud shrimp: Upogebia sp.
• Mud crabs: Scylla spp. (S. serrata); Ghost crabs: Dotilla sp. etc. ;Fiddler crabs: Uca spp.; Hermit crabs: Clibanarius sp; Mangrove crab: Aratus sp.
• Mud lobster: Thalassina anomala
• Barnacles: Balanus sp, Lepas sp. etc.,
• Isopoda: Sphaeroma sp ( wood borer).
• Insects
• Molluscs Gastropods (Nerita, Littorina,Telescopium , Cerithidea,); bivalves (oysters, clams, cockles)
• Fishes: Sea bass, grouper, mudskippers, mangrove archer fish
• Amphibians: Tree frogs
• Turtles: Marine turtles like Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea), Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas), Hawksbill Turtle (Eritmochelys imbricata),
• Snakes: Water snakes, mangrove pit-viper, mangrove cat snake
• Crocodile: Crocodile (Crocodilus porosus),
• Birds - Brahminy kite(Haliasturindicus), kingfishers, woodpeckers,herons, egrets (Egretta garzetta)
• Mammals- Long-tailed monkey (Macaca fascicularis), fruit bats
(Macroglossus minimus, Eonycterisspelaea) , otters, river dolphins (Platanista gangeticus), etc.