Copepods status in seagrass area of Pulau Tinggi Marine Park, Johor, Malaysia

Abstract

Zooplanktons were extensively studied to investigate species composition and density of copepods. Samples were collected from sea grass area in Pulau Tinggi for three months (April, June and October, 2015). Zooplankton samples were collected using Conically shaped plankton net (with mouth opening size of 0.30 m and 1.00 m length) with 100μm mesh size with an acrylic plastic cod end. Ten sampling stations were established for the collection of water samples. In the present study, a total of 54 species of copepods from 29 genera and 22 families were identified. Calanoids were the dominant group among the copepods. The most observed species were Paracalanus indicus, Paracalanus elegans, Oithona falax and Corycaeus agilis. The density of copepods was determined in the month of April, 2015. The highest density was 1245 individuals/m3 during the study period. The findings of the present study provide valuable information for fisheries authorities and marine controlling departments.