STATUS OF SQUAT LOBSTER OFF PEARL COAST OF GULF OF MANNAR, INDIA

The study revealed that the squat lobster has recorded and report for the first time in Indian Coast of Gulf of Mannar, off pearl coast, South-east coast of India. The dataset for the two squat lobster super families Galatheoidea and Chirostyloidea (Taxonomy and Phylogeny) and highlights the utility of these groups to global diversity and diversification. Squat lobsters are sporadic, widespread and biological diverse, and, importantly, are well-resolved taxonomically, with recent documentation of all published records for all known genus and species (Family Chirostylidae (9 Species) and Galatheidae (43 species). A total of 52 species (9 from Family Chirostylidae and 43 from Family Galatheidae) are recorded, mostly from the deeper waters of pearl coast of Gulf of Mannar, India.

Discards include the unwanted or un-mandated component of “bycatch”, or incidentally caught non-target catch, the bulk by-catch deep sea fauna and flora landed by larger trawlers (more than 400 horse power- 262 trawlers), which operated in deeper waters off pearl waters, the number of specimen of squat lobster was obtained from Southeast and west coast of India. The average depth has calculated from minimum and maximum depth where two depths were available in straight line curve of southeast coast of India; otherwise the single depth record was used for only seasonal occurrence of this species. Ongoing collections continue to explore new offshore regions, between the longitude and latitude, off pearl coast, South India (08° 22.871’N 78° 22.409’E - 08° 31.912’N 78° 25.327’E) at a depth of 185 to 318 M and habitats with the discovery of new species and genera continuing unabated. In order to cover as much available information as possible, different sources were used to extract geographical distributional information for squat lobsters. The crustacean of squat lobster (all by-catch specimen) study revealed that the further stressed that strict management measures need to be undertaken to conserve deep sea fauna and flora species from further to avoid exploitation and to restore or searanching and enhancement of population of stock assessment of the particular crustacean group, the biodiversity of squat lobster population of Gulf of Mannar in general and pearl coast in particular, India

Author(s): Vaitheeswaran Thiruvengadam

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