Vol. 51 No. 5, 2012

An Unusually High Abundance and Diversity of the Terebridae (Gastropoda: Conoidea) in Nha Trang Bay, Vietnam

Yuri I. Kantor*, Alexander E. Fedosov, and Ivan N. Marin

A.N. Severtzov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Science, Leninsky Prospect 33, Moscow 119071, Russia

Yuri I. Kantor, Alexander E. Fedosov, and Ivan N. Marin (2012) An unusually high abundance and diversity of the Terebridae (Gastropoda: Conoidea) was found at a sampling site in Nha Trang Bay, southern Vietnam.  At a single site at depths of 8-20 m, 328 specimens of terebrids, representing 23 species and 8 genera, were collected.  Analyses of the species composition, species accumulation curve, and faunal comparison of the Terebridae at Nha Trang Bay and in Vietnam in general with other local Indo-Pacific faunas were carried out.  The Vietnamese terebrid fauna appears to be one of the richest in the Indo-Pacific, and at shallow depths, is excelled only by the well-studied fauna of Japan.  The most abundant species of the Terebridae in Nha Trang Bay were radular-less.  Evolutionary trends in terebrid feeding are discussed.

Key words: Biodiversity, Indo-Pacific fauna, Vietnamese fauna, Gastropoda, Terebridae.

*Correspondence: Tel: 7-499-1351878.  E-mail:kantor.yuri1956@gmail.com