Benthic polychaete off Tanintharyi Island, Myeik Archipelago

The survey examined shallow to deep-sea benthic data on benthic fauna from the Myanmar coastal region's northern sector. Benthic samples were collected from 17 stations (26-1500m depth) off Taninthayi Island during the Mayanmar ecosystem survey of the R/V Dr. Fridtjof Nansen Research Vessel. Polychaete (25 taxa in total) had a higher proportion than other groups of benthic fauna. The range of species diversity and evenness were insignificantly different, but species richness differed. The highest species diversity, species evenness, and richness were showed in shallow areas (26 m depth). Keywords: Diversity indices, Polychaetes, Taninthayi Island, Myeik Archipelago.

Diversity and Abundance of Copepods in Taninthayi Coastal Waters, Myanmar

Diversity and abundance of copepods occurring in Taninthayi coastal waters were studied and analyzed from the samples collected by R/V DR. FRIDTJOF NANSEN during the Myanmar ecosystem survey 2018. Seventy-nine copepods species belonging to calanoids (51 species), cyclopoids (21 species), and harpacticoids (7 species) were identified in the copepods community of Taninthayi coastal waters. Copepods species number and density were high at the nearshore stations (Sts 799, 842, 788) and low at the offshore stations (Sts 846, 802, 823). The resulted diversity index values of copepods were varied from 2.61 to 3.78 in species diversity index (H'), from 0.89 to 0.97 in the evenness index (E'), and from 2.51 to 7.50 in species richness index (D'). According to the correlation matrix, the abundance of copepods was positively correlated with temperature, chlorophyll a and fluorescence, and negatively correlated with salinity and oxygen.