New polychaete records from seagrass beds at Minicoy Island, Lakshadweep, India

Abstract

− Species composition, distribution and taxonomic description of polychaete fauna in the seagrass beds of the Minicoy lagoon, Lakshadweep, India were studied during 1999 -2001. In 4 stations, 27 species of polychaetes belonging to 14 genera were identified. Of these 27 species, 10 species of polychaetes, belonging to 8 genera under 6 families, comprise new distributional records from Minicoy Island, and the descriptions of these species are provided. Among these, Glycera lancadivae, G. tesselata, and Eurythoe matthaii are found to be the most dominant species.