The Gulf of Mannar is one of the hotspots of marine biodiversity in Asia, with productive coastal habitats like coral reefs, seagrass beds, and mangroves. The popularity of the pearl oyster fishery in the Gulf of Mannar, dating back to the time of the ancient Greeks, attracts not only traders but also biologists. A total of 4,223 species of flora and fauna, including 856 molluscs, have been reported from the Gulf of Mannar.
The book “The Molluscs of Gulf of Mannar, India and Adjacent Waters: A Fully Illustrated Guide” is the first comprehensive guide to the molluscs of the Gulf of Mannar, India. The book provides a detailed pictorial portrayal of 1,041 species of molluscs, including 722 gastropods, 287 bivalves, seven scaphopods, 21 cephalopods and four polyplacophorans.
This field guide sums up two decades of biodiversity surveys and explorations initiated by two leading institutions in India, Suganthi Devadason Marine Research Institute (SDMRI), Tuticorin and the Department of Aquatic Biology & Fisheries, University of Kerala.
The spectacular diversity of molluscs found in the Gulf of Mannar and adjacent waters in India is described with excellent photographs in multiple views, facilitating easy species identification even by lay people.
This fully illustrated guide will assist the conservation managers, academicians, researchers, conchologists, divers, students, civil society groups, the general public and the administrators in understanding the tremendous and exquisite biodiversity of marine molluscs of the Gulf of Mannar and in appreciating the need to conserve them for future generations.
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