This book provides insights into various aspects of marine faunal communities in India, which are extremely diverse due to the geomorphologic and climatic variations along the Indian coasts. Consisting of 30 chapters by experts in their respective fields, it is divided into two parts:

· Part I: Tropical Marine Faunal Communities

· Part II: Ecology and Conservation

Part I highlights the diversity and distribution of Foraminifera; sponges associated with seagrass; Polychaeta; Opisthobranchia; oysters; copepods; horseshoe and brachyuran crabs; echinoderms; ascidians; fishes; fish parasites; and sea mammals. Topics of Part II include the status and environmental parameters of benthos; the status of coral reefs; the invasion of snowflake coral; the recovery of bleached corals; the socioeconomics and management of dugong; marine biodiversity conservation and management in India; the assessment of the marine fauna of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act; and marine biodiversity protected areas in India.

This book will serve as a valuable reference work for marine scientists, as well as for environmental managers and policy makers.

The late Holocene foraminifera from Andaman Islands, Andaman Sea, Bay Of Bengal.- Distribution of live Planktonic and benthic foraminifera in the shelf off Port Blair and Hutbay, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India.- Species composition and distribution of sponges (Phylum: Porifera) in the Seagrass ecosystem of Minicoy Atoll, Lakshadweep, India.- Diversity and distribution of Polychaetes from Tamil Nadu Coast, India.- Current Status of Indian Opisthobranch fauna.- Species diversity and abundance of Opisthobranch molluscs (Gastropoda: Opisthobranchia) in the coral reef environments of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India.- Macrofaunal assemblage of Oyster bed (Crassostrea madrasensis) in Vellar estuary.- Diversity and abundance of marine copepods in Muthupet mangrove waters, Southeast coast of India.- Assessment of the population status and threats to the Horseshoes along the northern East Coast of India.- Diversity and distribution of marine brachyuran crab communities inhabiting WestCoast of India.- Diversity and community structure of brachyuran crab in North Andaman.- Present status and distribution of echinoderms in Reef Communities of Nicobar Islands, India.- Diversity and distribution of sea cucumber in Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve, India.- Diversity of Ascidians from the Gulf of Mannar.- Fish fauna of Andaman and Nicobar Islands - a review.- Coastal marine fish fauna of East Coast of India.- Deep-sea fish distribution along the south-west region of Indian EEZ.- Diversity and abundance of the marine fish parasite from Coromandel coast of Tamil Nadu.- Diversity and distribution of reef fishes in Gulf of Mannar, India.- Abundance of Olive ridleys at Odisha coast: sources of mortality and relative importance of fisheries impacts.- Sightings of marine mammals in Bay of Bengal, Andaman and Nicobar Islands waters.- Status of the benthos and its environmental parameters in Redskin Island, Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park (MGMNP), Andaman And Nicobar Islands.-Present status of Coral reefs in India.- An invasion of Snowflake Coral Carijoa riisei (Duchassaing and Michelotti, 1860) in Indian Seas: Threats to Coral Reef Ecosystem.- Studies on the recovery of bleached corals in Andaman: Fishes as indicators of reef health.- Artisanal octopus fishery: Socio-economics and Management.- Status and conservation of Dugong dugong in India: Strategies for species recovery.- Marine biodiversity conservation and management in India.- An assessment of marine fauna of Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 in curio trade in India - A market study.- Coastal and Marine Protected Areas in India: Challenges and way forward.