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                     Animal Biodiversity in the
                         Indian River Lagoon

                           

Of those taxa documented, 20 animal phyla, comprising 1779 species, were listed in the original IRL Species Inventory.  

Phylum Chordata:
Chordate groups (38.7%) consisted of the protochordates and 6 classes of organisms comprising 689 different species.  The diversity among fishes and birds accounted for a large amount of the total biodiversity among the chordate group.

Group # Species
Subphylum Urochordata 31
Class Chondrichthyes 22
Class Osteichthyes 376
Class Amphibia 4
Class Reptilia 20
Class Aves 202
Class Mammalia 34


Phylum Mollusca
:
Mollusks accounted for 24.1% of the total animal biodiversity in the IRL.  This group consisted of 428 species in 4 classes:

Group # Species
Class Gastropoda 265
Class Polyplacophora 4
Class Bivalvia 157
Class Cephalopoda 2


Phylum Arthropoda:
Arthropods accounted for 20.2% of the animal biodiversity in the IRL.  This groups consists of 360 species in 7 classes :

Group # Species
Class Meristomata 1
Class Pycnogonida 4
Class Maxillopoda 6
Class Copepoda 32
Class Ostracoda 5
Class Insecta 8
Class Malacostraca 0
       Order Stomatopoda 8
       Order Mysidacea 3
       Order Tanaidacea 3
       Order Cumacea 2
       Order Decapoda 192
       Order Isopoda 27
       Order Amphipoda 69


Phylum Annelida:
Annelid worms accounted for 8.2% of IRL biodiversity, and consisted of 145 species in 2 classes:

Group # Species
Class Oligochaeta 2
Class Polychaeta 143


Echinodermata:  

Echinoderms

Group

# Species
Class Holothuroidea 10
Class Echinoidea 5
Class Asteroidea 5
Class Ophiuroidea 11


Sipuncula:
Sipunculans accounted for 1.0% of IRL biodiversity, with 2 classes of organisms and 18 species:

Group # Species
Class Sipunculidea 10
Class Phascolosomatidea 8


Other Phyla:
The remaining 6% of total biodiversity in the IRL consisted of phyla having at least 1 representative species:

Group # Species
Phylum Porifera 14
Phylum Cnidaria 31
Phylum Ctenophora 2
Phylum Platyhelmithes 5
Phylum Nemertea 1
Phylum Kinorhyncha 3
Phylum Entoprocta 1
Phylum Tardigrada 2
Phylum Chaetognatha 6
Phylum Ectoprocta 36
Phylum Phoronida 4
Phylum Brachiopoda 1
Phylum Echiura 1
Phylum Hemichordata 1