Abstract

Phylum Mollusca, the second largest of invertebrates, comprises of soft bodied animals. They inhabit very diverse habitats like marine, estuarine, freshwater, terrestrial and arboreal. They play important role in the function and productivity of coastal mangrove swamps. The attempt here has been to provide comprehensive check list of molluscs found in the Indian mangrove areas, compiled from various sources and from our field studies in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka State. In India, about 215 species of molluscs were reported from mangrove areas of east and west coasts. In Uttara Kannada, our molluscan sample studies during 2010-12 period, using random collection of leaf litter and opportunistic observation methods, about 12 genera of gastropods and four genera of bivalves were found by us. The investigations mainly covered the mangrove areas in the estuaries of the west flowing rivers from the Western Ghats namely Aghanashini, Gangavali, Kali, and Sharavathi. Although estuarine molluscs as such were inventorised from the district in some earlier studies, this is the first time that we gain glimpses of mangrove associated molluscs.

Key words: Mangrove molluscs, India, Karnataka, Western Ghats.