Morphological and molecular characterization ofUlva chaugulii sp. nov., U. lactuca and U. ohnoi (Ulvophyceae, Chlorophyta) from India M ud a ssa r A n iso d d in K a z i', M o n ic a G. K a v a l e '* a n d V e e r e n d r a

Beach litter are man-made objects discarded directly or indirectly. This study brings out synoptic picture of status and composition of beach were found in Kerala (17), Maharashtra (12), Tamil Nadu (2), Andhra Pradesh (4), Odisha (7) and West Bengal (3). Whereas extremely littered beaches (>100 g/m 2 ) were found in Karnataka (13), Goa, Gujarat, and Andaman Island. With reference to the coastal population and per capita share of beach debris, Goa registered highest values (40.97 kg/head) and the Odisha coast registered the lowest values (0.005 kg/head).

The genus Lamiopsis (Carcharhinidae) was previously considered to be monotypic, containing only the Broadfin Shark Lamiopsis temminckii (Müller & Henle, 1839) widely distributed in the Indo-West Pacific. However, a recent taxonomic study revealed that the Western Central Pacific populations were a separate species and that L. temminckii was restricted to the northern Indian Ocean. In this study, the paucity of data available for the true L. temminckii was highlighted. Recently collected specimens of L. temminckii has allowed for a detailed redescription of this species from the northern Arabian Sea to complement the previous taxonomic work on this genus.

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Spotted seerfish <em>Scomberomorus guttatus</em> (Bloch &amp; Schneider, 1801) is one of the highly priced table fishes in India, which contributed 4.7% of all India scombrid fishery with 17,684 t landed in 2014. Its fishery is dominant in the Arabian Sea and northern Arabian Sea contributed 62% to India’s spotted seerfish fishery. Biological information on <em>S. guttatus</em> is scarce and the same was studied during the period 2010-2014 from Maharashtra coast, north-eastern Arabian Sea. A total of 930 specimens (185-550 mm FL) collected from commercial landings were used for the study. Length-weight relation of pooled sexes was estimated as log (W) = -3.1988+2.66074 log (L) (r2 = 0.93). Fishery was dominated by males with the sex ratio of 0.76:1. Relative fecundity ranged from 105-343 eggs g-1 of bodyweight. The length at first maturity (Lm) was estimated to be 410 mm TL for females. Mature and gravid females were dominant in May and August-November. Dietary studies (% IRI) showed dominance of <em>Acetes</em> spp.

Pyropia vietnamensis is one o f the most luxuriously growing seaweed in Konkan coast, India. In the present study we at tempted to explore the morphology, ecology and molecular characteristics exhibited by P. vietnamensis and its taxonomic implications. We described the effects o f ecological parameters on the variability o f morphological characters. The water motion was found to be one o f the most important ecological parameter that governs the plant morphology. The plant was found to grow on entire intertidal region and this may be one o f the possible reasons for high morphological variation among the taxa in this region. The molecular analysis utilizing cox I gene sequences clearly revealed the close relation o f Indian and Brazilian specimens with only O-I bp intraspecific variation. The present study provides a beginning to a clearly required detailed study o f the morphology, ecology and genetic diversity showed by Pyropia species from Indian waters.