Spatio-temporal distribution of copepods in the mangrove areas of Munroe Island, adjacent to Ashtamudi estuary, Kerala, India.

The study was conducted to assess the species composition of copepods around Munroe Island of Kerala (South India) from October 2020 to September 2022. Copepod samples collected from the mangrove habitats around Munroe Island revealed 31 species belonging to 18 genera and 15 families. The order Calanoida was recognized as the most dominant taxon, with 23 species, followed by Harpacticoida (5 spp.) and Cyclopoida (3 spp.). Spatially, sampling station 3 (Palliyanthuruthu) had the highest species richness (28 spp.); in contrast, the lowest species richness was found at sampling station 1 (Villimangalam, 13 spp.). When exploring the seasonal effects on copepod richness it was found that the highest species richness was seen in the post-monsoon season (31 spp.) followed by the pre-monsoon season (29 spp.), while the least diversity was found during the monsoon season (28 spp.). Species such as Acartia bilobata, Paracalanus parvus, Pseudodiaptomus aurivillii, Pseudocalanus elongatus, Microsetella norvegica, and Oithona similis were found to be perennial in nature. The investigation calls for intensive surveys of copepods to reveal their ecology and diversity in the hitherto less studied region in South India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]