Distribution of pelagic tunicates in the western part of the Bay of Bengal

Abstract

A total of thirty-three species and two varieties of pelagic tunicates are reported from the western part of the Bay of Bengal. The influence of the prevailing water movements, temperature and salinity on the distribution of pelagic tunicates at the surface and in the subsurface is considered. The suitability of Oikopleura intermedia, Fritillaria borealis f. sargassi, Fritillaria pellucida, Thalia democratica var.orientalis and the western-Pacific form of Thalia democratica as indicators of water movements is suggested.