First Report on Zooplankton Abundance and Composition in Hadhramout Coast, Gulf of Aden
Ali Attaala Mukhaysin *
Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Marine Biology, Hadhramout University, Mukalla, Yemen.
Salem Rubaea Bazar
Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Marine Biology, Hadhramout University, Mukalla, Yemen.
Moteah Sheikh Aideed
Freelance Marine Biology, Mukalla, Yemen.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Five stations were investigated to represent the Hadhramout coast in the Gulf of Aden. This area, totally or partially, is under the influence of the western Indian Ocean seasonal monsoons. Zooplankton was collected monthly during daytime in 2009 – 2010 with vertical towing of 200 µm mesh plankton nets. The zooplankton community was characterized by its high variability and diversity. 226 taxa of zooplankton were identified in the coast through the different seasons. Zooplankton community was dominated by Copepods during the four seasons, followed by Euphausiids and Chaetognatha. The peak of zooplankton abundance was in northeast monsoon. The present results showed that the composition and distribution of zooplankton differed between the monsoon seasons, but little between the stations.
Keywords: Zooplankton, Gulf of Aden, copepods, hadhramout coast, coastal upwelling