Categories
vol-15TIlE BENTHIC FAUNA OF Ll\KE I3UHOLLUS
II – DISTRIBUTION AND PERIODICITY OF
DIFFERENT SPECIES
l\HIN A. SM1AAN*, A. F. A. GllOBASJlY”* II.ND S. M. II.BOUL EZZ*
*National Institute of oceanography and Fisheries
**Faculty of Science, Suez Canal Univ.
lI.nSTRACT
The distribution and periodicity of the different species
of benthic fauna in Lake Burollus ~ere discussed. The
oligochaete Chaetogaster limnae was numerically the most
dominant-bottom d~eller particularly during Summer. The
polychaete Mereis limnicola ~as confined to the eastern
Lake ~ith its maximum persistence in ~inter and Autumn. The
amphipod Corophium volutator appeared more frequent in the
middle sector in areas devoid of hydrophytes While Gammarus
lacustris was dominant around the lake-sea connection. The
maximum abundance of these two species ~as in Spring. The
isopod Mesanthura sp. predominated the middle and ~estern
sectors particularly during summer. The mysidacean Mysis
relicta was infrequently observed both in the plankton and
bottom samples. The mollusc Corbicula consObrina
contributed over 8lX of the total benthos biomass. Its
highest counts appeared in the western sector with no
peculiar season for maximum abundance. The other molluscs
namely; Cerastodenna (Cardium) edule. Neritina nilotica
and Melanoides tuberculata were infrequent or scarcely met
with. The chironomus larvae (Tendipes tentans) showed their
m0ximurn persistence in the eastern Lake particularly during
winter.
