Distribution and Diversity of Oligochaetes in Selected Ponds of Thiruvananthapuram District, Kerala, South India

Abstract

The present study was carried out to evaluate the distribution and diversity of oligochaete fauna in selected ponds of Thiruvananthapuram district in Kerala, South India. The sediment samples were collected from three ponds seasonally during the period December 2006 to November 2008. In the study, 10 oligochaete species which belong to 8 genera were identified in three selected ponds. These include Dero digitata , Dero nivea , Dero obtusa , Pristina longiseta , Aulophorus furcatus , Stylaria fossularis , Chaetogaster spp., Aeolosoma spp., Tubifex tubifex and Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri . Tubifex tubifex and Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri are the pollution-indicator oligochaete species identified in the fresh water ponds, which reveals that the studied ponds are subjected to pollution.