Thursday, January 14, 2010

Mangroves of Kandaleru Estuary


Over the last two years I had been visiting the Kandaleru estuary and other brackish water creeks around the estuary in the Gudur subdivision of Nellore District, Andhra Pradesh as part of my investigations of mangroves of South Coastal Andhra Pradesh.

Unlike other mangrove swamps of Nellore District, the Kandaleru estuary has robust, tall and dense mangroves. I have reported nine true mangroves of Nellore district from this estuary in my publication during 2007. I have tested the Salinity, Dissolved Oxygen and PH of water in the estuary. They are quite conducive for the growth of mangroves.



I visited Gummalladibba, Varagali, Ipuru-Vekannapalem and Momidi along the Kandaleru estuary during my visit in the first week of January 2010. There are pure Rhizophora and Avicennia communities as well as mixed communities of these two dominant true mangroves.



Also, there are Aegiceras corniculatum associated wtih Avicinnia. Excoecaria agallocha are spread landwards. Further, I noticed Clerodendron, Miriostachia and tamarix sp along the estuary.

During my recent visit, I recorded the following fauna in the mangrove swamps of Kandaleru estuary: Hermit Crab, Fidler Crab, Spider Crab, Mangrove Crab, Pelicypods and Electrice Fish.