A PRELIMINARY CHECKLIST OF MOLLUSCAN SHELL COLLECTION FROM MUNAMBAM BEACH, COCHIN, KERALA, INDIA

Molluscan shells are the second largest diverse species coming under the phylum Non-Chordata. Present study was undertaken in Munambam Beach, Cochin, Kerala, which is a sandy shore area. “A Preliminary checklist of Molluscan shell collection from Munambam beach” was documented from June 2019 to January 2020. A total number of 31 Genus of molluscan shells have been reported from Munambam beach belonging to the classes Gastropoda and Bivalvia. Gastropods were greater in terms of variety while Bivalvia represented greater in terms of abundance. Most of the Gastropods belonged to order Neogastropoda. This study reveals the influence of rain and high tide on the diversity of molluscan shell, and it was found that the diversity tends to be higher during monsoon season (June-July-August). The collected specimens were cleaned, photographed and preserved to dry. Graphs were plotted from the eight-month data and the checklist was prepared.