Checklist of Nematodes (Nematoda: Adenophorea) from Southeast Continental Shelf of India

Abstract

A checklist of free-living marine nematode species recorded from the continental shelf region of southeast
coast of India is presented (10°34.03’ to 15°14.48’ N and from 79°52.13’ to 80°53.87’E). The checklist comprise 191 species belonging to 97 genera in 32 families currently know from the area. We provided a synthesis of the taxonomical and ecological work carried out until now that could guide to future research

Full text

Journal of species lists and distribution
Chec List
414
Lists o f species
Check List 8(3): 414-420, 2012
© 2012 Check List and Authors
ISSN 1809-127X (available at www.checklist.org.br)
nematofaunal studies done in the Indian subcontinent
covered mostly the Western continental shelf (Harkantra
et al. 1980; Sajan et al. 2010) and shallow coastal waters
(Timm, 1961; 1967; Ansari et al. 1980) and no information
is available on the distribution and species level
composition of nematodes in the Southeast coast of India.
Therefore the present investigation was undertaken on the
meiobenthos especially on nematodes in the continental
shelf of the Southeast coast of India.

Study site
The study area extends from 10°34.03’ to 15°14.48’
N and from 79°52.13’ to 80°53.87’E in the continental
shelf region of the Southeast coast of India (Figure 1).
Totally 35 sediment samples were collected along 6
transects (off Karaikkal, Parangipettai, Cheyyur, Chennai,
Tammenapatanam and Singarayakonda) at the depths of
30-50m, 50-75m, 75-100m, 100-150m, 150-175m and
above 175m. In addition one more transect was sampled,
due to the presence of an industrial cluster in Cuddalore-
SIPCOT (State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil
Nadu), at 30-50m and above 175m depths. In these
industrial cluster units mainly produced PVC pipes, paints,
pharmaceutical products and fertilizers. These industries
play a major role in this region and the industrial units
      
The study area map was drawn with the help of SURFER
8.0.
Data collection
Meiofaunal samples for the present study were
collected onboard FORV (Fishery and Oceanographic
Research Vessel) “Sagar Sampada” during Cruise No.
260 under the program of “Marine Benthos of Indian
EEZ” founded by Centre for Marine Living Resources and
Ecology (CMLRE), Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES),
Government of India. Two samples were collected using a

Sedimentary habitats cover most of the ocean bottom
and therefore constitute the largest single ecosystem on
earth in spatial coverage (Schratzberger et al. 2007).
Benthic organisms which occupy these habitats make
       
nitrogen and sulphur cycling, water column process,
pollutant distribution and fate, secondary production and
transport and stability of sediments (Snelgrove et al. 1997).
     
earth are nematodes (Bongers and Ferries 1999). Free
living marine nematodes are usually the most abundant
metazoans inhabiting marine benthic ecosystems, often
representing more than 60-90% of the benthic meiofauna
(Sajan et al. 2010).

chain through way of degradation and mineralization of
organic matter is high. Nematodes have short life span,
high fecundity (Vranken and Heip 1983), represent several
tropic levels (herbivores, bacterial feeders and carnivores)
and at least some species can be easily cultured (Heip et al.
1985). By virtue of their wide range of adaptations, marine
nematodes have exploited all seashores and seabed
habitats. An important feature of nematode population is
the large number of species present in any habitat, often
an order of magnitude higher than for any other taxon
(Platt and Warwick 1980).
Whereas the importance of parasitic nematodes has
been recognised for many decades, this is not the case for
free-living marine nematode species, especially those of
aquatic environments. They remain poorly understood,
despite the fact that they are extremely abundant and
diverse, often numbering millions per square meter in
sediments, and occur in more habitats than any other
metazoan group (Heip et al. 1985). While few studies
have been carried out on nematodes in and around the
Indian waters, nematode communities of the Indian shelf
sediments received cursory attention. More over the
 A checklist of free-living marine nematode species recorded from the continental shelf region of southeast
coast of India is presented (10°34.03’ to 15°14.48’ N and from 79°52.13’ to 80°53.87’E). The checklist comprise 191 species
belonging to 97 genera in 32 families currently know from the area. We provided a synthesis of the taxonomical and
ecological work carried out until now that could guide to future research
Annamalai University, Faculty of marine Sciences, Centre of Advanced Study in Marine biology. Parangipettai – 608 502, Tamil Nadu, India.
* Corresponding author. E-mail: casthameem@gmail.com
Kapuli Gani Mohamed Thameemul Ansari*, Seerangan Manokaran, Sanjeevi Raja, Syed Ajmal Khan
and Somasundharanair Lyla
Checklist of Nematodes (Nematoda: Adenophorea) from
Southeast Continental Shelf of India

415
Ansari et al. | Nematodes from Southeast Continental Shelf of India
 1. Depths sampled at various transects of southeast continental
shelf of India.
Smith McIntyre grab (having a bite area of 0.2 m2) from
each depth. Immediately after the grab was hauled to the
deck and sub-samples were taken from undisturbed grab
samples using a glass corer (with an internal diameter
of 2.5 cm and a length of 15 cm) from the middle of grab
sample 
in buffered formalin at a concentration of 4%. The replicate
core samples were processed separately in the laboratory
and data were pooled for analyses.
Sample processing
In the laboratory, samples were washed through a set
of 0.5 mm and 0.063 mm sieves. The sediment retained
in the 0.063 mm sieve was decanted to extract meiofauna
following the method (Higgins and Thiel, 1988). Sorting of

 followed by
Armenteros et al. (2008). The meiofaunal organisms were
stained with Rose Bengal prior to extraction and were
sorted and enumerated under a stereomicroscope (Meiji,
Japan). All the nematodes were mounted onto glass slides,
using the formalin-ethanol-glycerol technique by Vincx
       
the highest taxonomic level possible using the compound
      
of 1000x) following the standard pictorial keys of Platt
and Warwick (1983; 1988), Warwick et al. (1998) and the
NeMys Database (Steyaert et al. 2005).
The collected specimens is currently deposited in
CMLRE (Centre for Marine Living Resource and Ecology),
MoES (Ministry of Earth Sciences), Government of India,
whose available voucher numbers are provided (Table 1).
These lists could be found in “Achievements of FORV Sagar
Sampada 1997-2010” published in National Symposium
entitled “Indian Ocean Marine Living Resources
(IndoMLR)”, held at CMLRE, Kochi, India 2010.

A total of 4218 individuals were collected and 191
species belonging to 97 genera and 32 families were

from the Western continental shelf of India (Sajan et al.
2010). In the present study, the abundance (mean ± SE)
of nematodes decreased with increase in depth. The
maximum abundance of 207.7±19.19 no. of ind. /10cm2
was noticed in 30-50m depth and the minimum in >175m
depth (34.6±6.66 no. of ind. /10cm2). Highest number
of species was recorded in 30-50m depth (151 species)
followed by 100-150m depth (120 species), 75-100m
depth(100 species), 50-75m depth (95 species) , 150-
175m depth (80 species) and >175m depth(58 species)
(Table 1). As observed in the present study, decline in
abundance, number of species and families with increase
in depth was reported (Ansari et al. 1980; Parulekar et al.
1982; Muthumbi et al. 2004; Sajan and Damodaran 2007;
Sajan et al. 2010) in the Indian shelf sediments and (De
Bovee et al. 1990; Tietjen 1992; Soltwedel 2000; Liu et al.
2007; De Leonardis et al. 2008; Armenteros et al. 2009)
from other parts of the world. Transect-wise variation was
less distinct in the faunal composition. However, such a
variation was noticed in the abundance of nematodes in
the entire shelf (Sajan et al. 2010).
Seventeen families such as Anoplostomatidae,
Oxystominidae, Oncholaimidae, Trefusiidae,
Chromadoridae, Comesomatidae, Cyatholaimidae,
Desmodoridae, Microlaimidae, Leptolaimidae,
Ceramonematidae, Desmoscolecidae, Monhysteridae,
Xyalidae, Sphaerolaimidae, Linhomidae and
Axonolaimidae were found in the entire study area. Some
       
and Epsilonematidae were restricted only in 30-50m
depth range, Meyliidae in 50-75m depth and Enoplidae in
75- 100m depth. Totally 29 out of 32 nematode families
were recorded in 30-50m depth followed by 27 families
in 50-75m and 100-150m depths. While behind 100m
depth all the 32 nematode families were found and
beyond 100m depth 28 families were recorded. However
Enoplidae, Enchelidiidae, Epsilonematidae and Meyliidae
were not recorded. At the edge of the shelf (beyond 175m)
only 18 families were recorded. Ironidae, Leptosomatidae
and Draconematidae were present in all the depth ranges
except > 175m depth (Table 1). Similar results were
reported by Sajan and Damodaran (2007) in Western
continental shelf of India.
The present study most of the free-living marine

that lack of literature. The generic composition in the
southeast continental shelf of India showed the presence
of all the depths genera like Anoplostoma, Halalaimus,
Oxystomina, Viscosia, Dorylaimopsis, Sabatieria,
Paralongicyatholaimus, Tricoma, Thalassomonhystera,
Daptonema, Terschellingia and Odontophora (Table 1) as
found in various shelf sediments (Vanreusel et al. 1992;
Soetaert and Heip 1995; Muthumbi et al. 2004; Sajan and
Damodaran 2007; Sajan et al. 2010). In the importance
of industrial cluster transect (Cuddalore – SIPCOT),
nematode species like Mesocanthion sp., Neochromadora

416
Ansari et al. | Nematodes from Southeast Continental Shelf of India
 1. List of species collected at seven transects and each in six depths (1 – 30-50m, 2 = 50-75m, 3= 75-100m, 4 = 100-150m, 5 = 150- 175m and 6
= > 175m) along the continental shelf region of the southeast coast of India (x – present, - absent).
sp. and Epsilonema pustulatum were recorded only in this
transect. Genus Neochromadora was noticed as indicators
for oil pollution and heavy metal contamination (Platt
and Warwick 1988). There is no information regarding
list of free-living marine nematode species, distribution,
diversity and pollution aspect studies in the southeast
continental shelf of India. Therefore, the present study
data is valuable for further ecological, qualitative and
quantitative research on free-living marine nematodes in
this region.
 CMLRE NUMBER 1 2 3 4 5 6

Enoplus sp. - - - x - - -

Enoplolaimus longicaudatus (Southern, 1914) CMLRE 4/061 - - - - x -
Mesacanthion sp. - x - - - - -
Paramesacanthion sp. CMLRE 4/068 x x - x - -
Thoracostomopsis sp. - - - - x - -

Anoplostoma viviparam (Bastian, 1865) - x x x x x x
Anoplostoma sp. - x x x x x x

Anticoma eberthi Bastian, 1865 CMLRE 4/006 - - - x - -
Anticoma sp. - x x x x - -

Dolicholaimus sp. - x - - x - -
Syringolaimus sp. - x x x x x -

Leptosomatum sp. - x - x - - -
Platycoma sp. - x x - x - -
Thoracostoma sp. - x - - - x -

Halalaimus capitulates Boucher, 1977 - x - - - - -
Halalaimus gracilis De man, 1888 - x x x x x x
Halalaimus longicaudatus (Filipjev, 1927) - x x x x x x
Halalaimus sp. - x x x x x x
Nemanema sp. - - x - - - x
Oxystomina elongata (Butschili, 1874) - x x x x x x
Oxystomina sp. CMLRE 4/060 x x x x x x

Metoncholaimus scanicus (Allgen, 1935) CMLRE 4/039 and 4/78 x - - - - -
Oncholaimellus calvadosicus De Man, 1890 CMLRE 4/057 - - - x - -
Oncholaimellus sp. - - x - x x x
Viscosia abyssorum (Allgen, 1933) - x - - - - -
Viscosia elegans (Kreis, 1924) - x x x x x x
Viscosia glabra (Bastian, 1865) CMLRE 4/038 x - x x x -
Viscosia langrunensis (De Man, 1890) CMLRE 4/037 x x x x x x
Viscosia viscosa (Bastian, 1865) - x x x x x x
Viscosia sp. - x x x x x x

Belbolla sp. CMLRE 4/076 x - - - - -
Pareurystomina sp. CMLRE 4/058 x x - x x -

Tripyloides marinus (Butschli, 1874) - x - - x - -
Tripyloides sp. CMLRE 4/059 x - - - - -

Halanonchus sp. - x x x x x x
Trefusia longicaudata De Man, 1893 - x x x x - -
Trefusia sp.1 - x x x x - -
Trefusia sp.2 - x x - x - -

Chromadora sp. - x x x - - -
Chromadorina granulopigmentata (Weiser, 1951) CMLRE 4/013 x x - x - -
Neochromadora poecilosomoides (Filipjev, 1918) CMLRE 4/079 x - - - - -

417
Ansari et al. | Nematodes from Southeast Continental Shelf of India
 CMLRE NUMBER 1 2 3 4 5 6
Prochromadorella sp. - - - - - - x
Siplophorella sp. - x x x x x x

Comesoma sp. - x x - - - -
Dorylaimopsis punctata Ditlevsen, 1918 - x x x x x -
Dorylaimopsis sp. - x x x x x x
Laimella sp. - - - - x - x
Metacomesoma sp. - x - - - - -
Paracomesoma dubuim (Filipjev, 1918) - - - x - - -
Paracomesoma sp. CMLRE 4/066 x x - x x x
Sabatieria breviseta Stekhoven, 1935 - x x x x x -
Sabatieria celtica Southern, 1914 CMLRE 4/030 x x x x - -
Sabatieria longisetosa (Kries, 1929) - x - x - x -
Sabatieria ornata (Ditlevsen, 1918) - x x x - x -
Sabatieria praedatrix De Man, 1907 CMLRE 4/031 x x - x - x
Sabatieria pulchra (Schneider, 1906) CMLRE 4/032 x x x x x x
Sabatieria punctata (Kreis, 1924) CMLRE 4/033 x x x x x -
Sabatieria sp.1 - x x x x x x
Sabatieria sp.2 - x x x x - -

Comesa cuanensis (Platt, 1982) CMLRE 4/017 x x - - - -
Paraethmolaimus sp. - x - - - - -

Cyatholaimus sp. CMLRE 4/065 x - - x - -
Longicyatholaimus sp. - x x x x - x
Metacyatholaimus sp. - - - - x - -
Paracanthonchus longicaudatus Warwick, 1971 CMLRE 4/072 x - - x - -
Paracanthonchus platti Vadhyar, 1980 - - x - - - -
Paracanthonchus sp. - x - - x x x
Paracyatholaimus sp. CMLRE 4/071 - - x x - -
Paralongicyatholaimus minutus Warwick, 1971 - x x x x x x
Paralongicyatholaimus sp. CMLRE 4/040 x x x x x x
Pomponema sp. - x x - x - -

Cheironchus sp. - x - - - - -
Gammanema sp. - x - - - - -
Halichoanolaimus robustus (Bastian, 1865) - - - - x - -
Synonchiella sp. CMLRE 4/069 - x - - - x
Synonchium sp. - - x - - - -

Catanema sp. - - x - - - -
Chromaspirina inglisi Warwick, 1970 CMLRE 4/014 x - - - - -
Chromaspirina parapontica Luc and De Coninck, 1959 CMLRE 4/015 x - - x - -
Chromaspirina sp. - x - x x - -
Desmodora (Desmodora) scaldensis De Man, 1889 - x - x - x -
Desmodora (Desmodora) schulzi Gerlach, 1950 CMLRE 4/025 - - x - x -
Echinodesmadora sp. - x - - x - -
Leptonemella sp. - - - - x - -
Metachromadora (Bradylaimus) suecica (Allgen, 1929) CMLRE 4/056 x - - - - -
Metachromadora (Chromadoropsis) vivipara (De Man, 1907) - x - - - - -
Metachromadora sp.1 - x - x x x -
Metachromadora sp.2 CMLRE 4/055 x x x x x x
Paradesmodora sp. CMLRE 4/047 x x - x x -
Pseudonchus northumbriensis Warwick, 1969 CMLRE 4/053 - x - x - -
Pseudonchus sp. CMLRE 4/052 x x x x - x
Spirinia sp. - x x x x x -

Draconema claparedii (Gerlach, 1952) - x - - - - -
Draconema sp. - - - x - - -

Epsilonema pustulatum (Gerlach, 1952) CMLRE 4/077 x - - - - -
 1. Continued.

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Ansari et al. | Nematodes from Southeast Continental Shelf of India
 CMLRE NUMBER 1 2 3 4 5 6

Aponema sp. - x x - x - -
Belbolaimus teutonicus Riemann, 1966 - x x - - - -
Belbolaimus sp. CMLRE 4/041 x x - x - -
Calomicrolaimus honestus (De Man, 1922) CMLRE 4/011 - - - x - -
Calomicrolaimus spirifer (Warwick, 1970) - x - x x - -
Calomicrolaimus sp. CMLRE 4/012 x - x x - -
Microlaimus acinaces Warwick and Platt, 1971 - - x - - - -
Microlaimus conothelis (Lorenzen, 1973a) CMLRE 4/027 x - - - - -
Microlaimus robustidens Stekhoven and De Connick, 1933 CMLRE 4/026 x - x x x -
Microlaimus sp.1 - x x x x x x
Microlaimus sp.2 CMLRE 4/028 x x - x - -

Camacolaimus barbatus Warwick, 1970 - x - - - - -
Camacolaimus langicauda De Man, 1922 - x - - x - -
Camacolaimus sp. CMLRE 4/070 x x x x x -
Deontolaimus sp. - - x - - - x
Leptolaimus ampullaceus Warwick, 1970 CMLRE 4/062 x - - - x -
Laptolaimus elegans (Stekhoven and De Coninck, 1933) - x - - x x -
Leptolaimus papillinger De Man, 1876 CMLRE 4/063 x - - - - -
Leptolaimus sp. - x - - x - -
Leptolaimoides sp. - x - - - - -
Stephanolaimus sp. - x - - - - -

Dasynemoides albaensis (Warwick and Platt, 1973) - - - x - - -
Metadasynemoides sp. CMLRE 4/075 x - x x x x
Pselionema longiseta Ward, 1974 - x x - x x -
Pselionema sp.- x x - x x -

Gerlachius sp. - - x - - - -

Desmoscolex falcatus Lorenzen, 1972 - x - - - - -
Desmoscolex sp. - x - x - - -
Quadricoma scanica (Allgen, 1935) - x - - - - -
Tricoma brevirostris (Southern, 1914) - x x x x x x
Tricoma longirostris (Southern, 1914) CMLRE 4/074 x x x x x x
Tricoma sp. - x x x x x x

Southernia sp. - - x x x - -

Diplolaimelloides sp. - x - - - - -
Paramonhystera buetschlii (Bresslau and Stekhoven 1935) - - - x x - x
Paramonhystera riemanni (Platt, 1973) - - - x - - -
Paramonhystera sp.1 - x x x x x x
Paramonhystera sp.2 CMLRE 4/029 - - x x - x
Thalassomonhystera parva (Bastian, 1865) - x - x - x x
Thalassomonhystera venusta (Lorenzen, 1979) - x x x x x x
Thalassomonhystera sp. CMLRE 4/067 x x x x x x

Cobbia trefusiaeformis De Man, 1907 CMLRE 4/016 x - - - - -
Cobbia sp. - - - x - - -
Daptonema biggi (Gerlach, 1965) CMLRE 4/020 - - x - - -
Daptonema hirsutum (Vitiello, 1967) CMLRE 4/018 - - - - x -
Daptonema normandicum (De Man, 1890) CMLRE 4/019 x x x x x x
Daptonema oxycerca (De Man, 1888) - x x x x x -
Daptonema procerum (Gerlach, 1951) - - - x - - -
Daptonema psammoides (Warwick, 1970) CMLRE 4/021 - x x - - -
Daptonema setifer (Gerlach, 1952) - x - - - - -
Daptonema tenuispiculum (Ditlevsen, 1918) CMLRE 4/022 x x x x x x
Daptonema sp.1 - x x x x x x
Daptonema sp.2 CMLRE 4/023 x x x x x x
 1. Continued.

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 CMLRE NUMBER 1 2 3 4 5 6
Daptonema sp.3 CMLRE 4/024 - x x x x x
Echinotheristus sp. - - - - x - -
Theristus longus Platt, 1973 CMLRE 4/064 x x x x - -
Theristus ensifer Gerlach, 1951 CMLRE 4/080 x - x - - -
Theristus sp.1 - x x x x - -
Theristus sp.2 - - - x - - -

Sphaerolaimus balticus Schneider, 1906 CMLRE 4/035 - x - x x -
Sphaerolaimus gracilis De man, 1884 CMLRE 4/036 x - - x - -
Sphaerolaimus islandicus Ditlevsen, 1926 - x x x x x x
Sphaerolaimus sp. - x x - - x -

Astomonema southwardorum Austen, Warwick and Ryan, 1993 CMLRE 4/009 x - x x - -
Astomonema sp. - - x x x - -
Siphonolaimus cobbi Riemann, 1966 CMLRE 4/034 - - x x - -
Siphonolaimus sp. - x - - - - -

Eleutherolaimus sp. - x - - - - -
Linhomoeus hirsutus Bastian, 1865 - - - - x - -
Linhomoeus sp.1 - x - x x x -
Linhomoeus sp.2 - x x - - - -
Megadesmolaimus sp. CMLRE 4/054 x - - x - -
 (De Man, 1907) CMLRE 4/042 x x x x x -
Metalinhomoeus longiseta Kreis, 1929 - - x - x x -
Metalinhomoeus sp. - x x x x x x
Paralinhomoeus conicaudatus (Allgen, 1930) CMLRE 4/049 x - x x - x
Paralinhomoeus lepturus (De Man, 1907) - x - x x - -
Paralinhomoeus uniovarium Warwick, 1970 CMLRE 4/048 x - - - - -
Paralinhomoeus sp. - x x x x - x
Terschellingia communis De Man, 1888 - x x x x x x
Terschellingia longicaudata De Man, 1907 - x x x x x x
Terschellingia sp.CMLRE 4/050 x x x x x x

Ascolaimus elongates (Butschli, 1874) - x - - x - -
Ascolaimus sp. CMLRE 4/051 x x x x x x
Axonolaimus paraspinosus Stekhoven and Adam, 1931 CMLRE 4/010 x - - - x -
Axonolaimus sp. - x - - x x -
Odontophora exharena Warwick and Platt, 1973 CMLRE 4/043 x - - x x -
Odontophora longisetosa (Allgen, 1928) CMLRE 4/044 x - x x x x
Odontophora rectangula Lorenzen, 1971 CMLRE 4/045 x - x x x x
Odontophora setosa (Allgen, 1929) - x - x x - -
Odontophora sp.1 CMLRE 4/046 x x x x x x
Odontophora sp.2 - x x x x x x
Parodontophora sp. - - - x - - -

Araeolaimus elegans De Man, 1888 CMLRE 4/007 x x x x - -
Araeolaimus sp.1 - x x x - x -
Araeolaimus sp.2 CMLRE 4/008 x x - x x -
 1. Continued.
 We would like to thank to an anonymous referee
for comments which helped to improve the manuscript.

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series). Volume 53. Shrewsbury: Field Studies Council.
: December 2011
: March 2012
: June 2012
: Simone Chinicz Cohen