IDENTIFICATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF SOFT-BOTTOM BENTHIC BIVALVES OF SINGAPORE

Abstract

Marine bivalves collected from various locations (Pulau Semakau, Pulau Tekong, West Johore Straits, Sungei Buloh, Singapore River and Kallang Basin) in Singapore waters from 1987 to 1993 were studied. The bivalves were collected from soft-bottom habitats using a variety of equipment such as the Smith-McIntyre grab, Ekman grab, Ockelmann's sledge and Naturalist's Rectangular dredge. A total of 75 species from 46 genera and 26 families were recorded. Of these 75 species, 26 have been identified to species level. All the species have been recorded from Singapore. The genus Bucardium Gray, 1853 has not previously been reported from Singapore. The most commonly occurring bivalve was Mylilopsis sp.A. Offshore sampling locations supported a richer community than riverine habitats. Species diversity calculated using the Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index (H') was the highest in the 1989 survey ofKallang Basin. Bivalves found in soft-bottom benthic habitats help maintain the ecology of the habitat and are food sources for higher trophic levels. The importance of conserving these habitats is stressed .