4.7
Chaetognaths from the Laccadives with the
New Record of Spadella angulata (T OKIOKA, 1951)
v. R. NAIR and T. S. S. RAo
This paper is based on the material collected in 1968 during cruises 2 and 5 of the
National Institute of Oceanography to Kavaratti and Kalpeni, 2 atolls in the Laccadives
(Fig. 1).
12°
N
11°
10°
r. Kalj:leni
go
"
8° 72°E
73°
74°
75°
76°
77°
Fig. 1. The Laccadive Archipelagoes off the west coast of India, showing the relative position of
Kavaratti and Kalpeni atolls
I. Material and Methods
Plankton was collected at Kavaratti on 20 - 22 October and Kalpeni on 21- 27 December, 1968, collections being made at the surface within the lagoon and around the
atoll. The Kavaratti stations (Fig. 2) were worked on 2 successive nights. Two series
of 20 plankton samples were taken, the first series (Oct. 20) while the tide was rising,
and the second (Oct. 21- 22) while the tide was falling (TRANTER and GEORGE, 1969).
In the Kalpeni survey (Fig. 3) 36 plankton samples were taken exclusively at night in
3 series, within the lagoon (Dec. 21), round the atoll (Dec. 24) and on 2 seaward traverses
(Dec. 27) 5 miles to NE and 5 miles to SW of the atoll (TRANTER and GEORGE, 1969).
A modified WP 2 net (UNESCO, 1968) of nylon gauze was used, for the Kavaratti
survey with a 0.2 mm mesh, and for the Kalpeni cruise with 0.33 mm mesh. It is assumed
that this did not influence the numbers of chaetognaths caught. Plankton samples were