In-situ observations of swarming pelagic tunicate Pegea confoederata (Forskål, 1775) (Tunicata: Thaliacea) in coral reef habitats of Kuwait

Pelagic tunicates (order Salpida) have the highest filtration rates among filter feeding marine zooplankton. This is the first-ever in situ observation of the salp, Pegea confoederata (Forskål, 1775), in northwestern Arabian Gulf (NWAG), off Kuwait. Swarms of P. confoederata with chain-like blastozo...

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Main Authors: Amani Al-Yaqout, Manickam Nithyanandan, Yiannis Issaris, Rakhesh Madhusoodhanan, Gopkirishna Mantha, Mohammad Al-Kandari, Musaad Al-Roumi, Stamatis Zogaris
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-01-01
Series:Kuwait Journal of Science
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Online Access:https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2307410823001013
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author Amani Al-Yaqout
Manickam Nithyanandan
Yiannis Issaris
Rakhesh Madhusoodhanan
Gopkirishna Mantha
Mohammad Al-Kandari
Musaad Al-Roumi
Stamatis Zogaris
author_facet Amani Al-Yaqout
Manickam Nithyanandan
Yiannis Issaris
Rakhesh Madhusoodhanan
Gopkirishna Mantha
Mohammad Al-Kandari
Musaad Al-Roumi
Stamatis Zogaris
author_sort Amani Al-Yaqout
collection DOAJ
description Pelagic tunicates (order Salpida) have the highest filtration rates among filter feeding marine zooplankton. This is the first-ever in situ observation of the salp, Pegea confoederata (Forskål, 1775), in northwestern Arabian Gulf (NWAG), off Kuwait. Swarms of P. confoederata with chain-like blastozooids (∼1 ​m) and solitary oozoids were observed in offshore coral reef habitats. Coastal fishes, Diplodus sargus kotschyi and Abudefdef vaigaiensis, were observed feeding on P. confoederata tests. In Kuwait, higher summer density of phytoplankton (<20 ​μm) supports P. confoederata aggregation. Concerted studies on salps in the Arabian Gulf may offer insights into pelagic carbon cycling pathways and carbon sequestration.
format Article
id doaj-art-6bd63488ec6c40468fc8f91730221513
institution Kabale University
issn 2307-4116
language English
publishDate 2024-01-01
publisher Elsevier
record_format Article
series Kuwait Journal of Science
spelling doaj-art-6bd63488ec6c40468fc8f917302215132025-08-20T03:26:35ZengElsevierKuwait Journal of Science2307-41162024-01-01511100078https://doi.org/10.1016/j.kjs.2023.07.004In-situ observations of swarming pelagic tunicate Pegea confoederata (Forskål, 1775) (Tunicata: Thaliacea) in coral reef habitats of KuwaitAmani Al-Yaqout0Manickam Nithyanandan1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0582-8344Yiannis Issaris2Rakhesh Madhusoodhanan3Gopkirishna Mantha4https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7200-5105Mohammad Al-Kandari5Musaad Al-Roumi6Stamatis Zogaris7https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8951-5646Environment and Life Sciences Research Center, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, P.O. Box 1638, Salmiya 22017, KuwaitEnvironment and Life Sciences Research Center, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, P.O. Box 1638, Salmiya 22017, KuwaitEnvironment and Life Sciences Research Center, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, P.O. Box 1638, Salmiya 22017, KuwaitHellenic Centre for Marine Research, Anavissos, 19013 Attiki, GreeceEnvironment and Life Sciences Research Center, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, P.O. Box 1638, Salmiya 22017, KuwaitEnvironment and Life Sciences Research Center, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, P.O. Box 1638, Salmiya 22017, KuwaitEnvironment and Life Sciences Research Center, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, P.O. Box 1638, Salmiya 22017, KuwaitEnvironment and Life Sciences Research Center, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, P.O. Box 1638, Salmiya 22017, KuwaitHellenic Centre for Marine Research, Anavissos, 19013 Attiki, GreecePelagic tunicates (order Salpida) have the highest filtration rates among filter feeding marine zooplankton. This is the first-ever in situ observation of the salp, Pegea confoederata (Forskål, 1775), in northwestern Arabian Gulf (NWAG), off Kuwait. Swarms of P. confoederata with chain-like blastozooids (∼1 ​m) and solitary oozoids were observed in offshore coral reef habitats. Coastal fishes, Diplodus sargus kotschyi and Abudefdef vaigaiensis, were observed feeding on P. confoederata tests. In Kuwait, higher summer density of phytoplankton (<20 ​μm) supports P. confoederata aggregation. Concerted studies on salps in the Arabian Gulf may offer insights into pelagic carbon cycling pathways and carbon sequestration.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2307410823001013pelagic tunicateszooplanktonchlorophyllarabian gulfkuwaitcoral reefs
spellingShingle Amani Al-Yaqout
Manickam Nithyanandan
Yiannis Issaris
Rakhesh Madhusoodhanan
Gopkirishna Mantha
Mohammad Al-Kandari
Musaad Al-Roumi
Stamatis Zogaris
In-situ observations of swarming pelagic tunicate Pegea confoederata (Forskål, 1775) (Tunicata: Thaliacea) in coral reef habitats of Kuwait
Kuwait Journal of Science
pelagic tunicates
zooplankton
chlorophyll
arabian gulf
kuwait
coral reefs
title In-situ observations of swarming pelagic tunicate Pegea confoederata (Forskål, 1775) (Tunicata: Thaliacea) in coral reef habitats of Kuwait
title_full In-situ observations of swarming pelagic tunicate Pegea confoederata (Forskål, 1775) (Tunicata: Thaliacea) in coral reef habitats of Kuwait
title_fullStr In-situ observations of swarming pelagic tunicate Pegea confoederata (Forskål, 1775) (Tunicata: Thaliacea) in coral reef habitats of Kuwait
title_full_unstemmed In-situ observations of swarming pelagic tunicate Pegea confoederata (Forskål, 1775) (Tunicata: Thaliacea) in coral reef habitats of Kuwait
title_short In-situ observations of swarming pelagic tunicate Pegea confoederata (Forskål, 1775) (Tunicata: Thaliacea) in coral reef habitats of Kuwait
title_sort in situ observations of swarming pelagic tunicate pegea confoederata forskal 1775 tunicata thaliacea in coral reef habitats of kuwait
topic pelagic tunicates
zooplankton
chlorophyll
arabian gulf
kuwait
coral reefs
url https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2307410823001013
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