Composition, Abundance and Distribution of Chaetognaths Along the Pacific Coast and Adjacent Internal Waters of the Philippines

  • Mary Mar Noblezada
  • Wilfredo Campos

Abstract

Chaetognath species composition, distribution and relative abundance along the Pacific Coast and the internal waters of the Philippines are presented based on the analysis of 12 samples collected from two oceanographic cruises in April-May 2001. The occurrence of species in relation to water masses is noted and results are analyzed with regards to the main hydrologic features of the surveyed area.

Nineteen species of chaetognaths belonging to 3 genera were identified from the samples. In order of relative abundance, these include: Sagitta enflata, S.bipunctata, S. bedoti, S. neglecta, S. robusta, S. ferox, S. pacifica, S. hexaptera, S. serratodentata, S. decipiens, S. regularis, S. macrocephala, S. minima, S. oceanica, S. pulchra, Pterosagitta draco, Krohnitta subtilis, S. nagae, and S. johorensis. The overall mean density of all arrow worms was 4.85 ind.·m-3 (range 0.90-30.89). Sagitta enflata was the most abundant and frequent species in all stations analyzed and comprised 49.7%. Based on their respective distributions reported in the literature, the results indicate a strong influx of oceanic water from the Pacific Ocean into the Visayan Sea.
Published
2007-07-06
Issue
Vol 19 No 1 (2007)
Section
Articles
Submission of a manuscript implies: that the work described has not been published before (except in the form of an abstract or as part of a published lecture, review, or thesis); that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere; that its publication has been approved by all co-authors, if any, as well as by the responsible authorities at the institute where the work has been carried out; that, if and when the manuscript is accepted for publication, the authors agree to the automatic transfer of the copyright to the publisher; that the manuscript will not be published elsewhere in any language without the consent of the copyright holders; that written permission of the copyright holder is obtained by the authors for material used from other copyrighted sources; and that any costs associated with obtaining this permission are the authors’ responsibility.