Benthic Macro-Invertebrates of River Ganga Central Pollution Control Board Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change “Parivesh Bhawan”, C.B.D. Cum-Office Complex, East Arjun Nagar, Shahdara, Delhi - 110032 May 2017 CPCB, 200 Copies, Reprint 2017 Prepared & Published by : PR Division, Central Pollution Control Board on Behalf of Dr. A.B. Akolkar, Member Secretary, CPCB. Printing Supervision : Shri Shriance Jain, Ms. Anamika Sagar and Shri Satish Kumar. Printed at : India Offset Press, New Delhi | www.indiaoffsetpress.com Preface The objective of this document is to enable beginners to identify aquatic invertebrate macro fauna up to the phylum, class, order, family and generic level which is required for biological water quality evaluation of River Ganga. In this some emphasis is put on behavioral characteristics and habitat preferences which are often more useful for field workers than taxonomical and morphological characteristics. This is especially important since the identification of the animals is to take place at the sampling site under field conditions. The document includes description of method of sampling and bio-assessment, taxonomic identification characters, habitat, distribution in their biological water quality, water temperature of their habitats along with their size in terms of length, width and height for the benthic macro- invertebrates collected from various locations identified on entire stretch of River Ganga in the states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. A glossary of scientific terms has been provided to understand the exact description of identification characteristics. Standard field protocol to be used for bio-monitoring of River Ganga is also provided. References include documentation of bio-monitoring of surface water carried out so far in India. The contribution of Uttarakhand Environment Protection and Pollution Control Board, Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board, Bihar Pollution Control Board, Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board and West Bengal Pollution Control Board in association with CPCB Zonal Offices of Lucknow and Kolkata, is appreciated. iii Contributors Taxonomic Identification and : Dr. Pratima Akolkar Key Preparation Dr. Ishaq Ahmad Field monitoring and collection : Dr. Firoz Ahmad Dr. Annu Goel Data compilation : Dr. Jaya Sharma Documentation : Shri Puneet Gupta v Message Monitoring of environmental components is an important prerequisite for pollution control activities. Over the years, environmental scientists, all over the world, are exploring the possibility of using bio-monitoring techniques to determine the cumulative effect of a list of unending pollutants on the overall health of the aquatic ecosystem. These pollutants act quite differently in mixture than individually and therefore affect the ecosystem in a synergistic manner which cannot be detected by chemical analysis alone. Biological system can integrate all environmental variables over a long period of time in terms of effects which can be easily measured and quantified by identification of affected communities of indicator species in aquatic ecosystem. To achieve such targets, knowledge of identification of key species is most important to warn for sudden change in water quality and to measure any change in structural and functional integrity of aquatic ecosystem in response to pollution. Rational formulation of any pollution control programme for a water body needs to define water quality objective (targets) in a sound scientific manner. These objectives are used to identify the areas which are in need of restoration, extent of pollution control needed, prioritization of pollution control programmes, and effectiveness of pollution control efforts. Bio-monitoring of water quality is very much useful for achieving these objectives. Central Pollution Control Board has taken such initiatives to identify and compile the key species of River Ganga for improving its water quality. vii Message One of the long term objective for pollution control authorities is that all the natural water bodies should remain free from harmful effects, to man and aquatic life, caused by polluted discharges. For the regulation of effluent discharges, one should estimate the actual damage an effluent is causing to the aquatic environment. Bio-monitoring of water quality can play a vital role in effective control strategy for complex effluents. Being effective, cheaper and easy to perform, bio-monitoring methodology can help the decision makers in: - Identifying environmental problems; - Establishing priorities for pollution control efforts; - Setting discharge limits for effluents; - Identifying and implementing appropriate control measures; and - Monitoring compliance with regulatory limits. In developed countries AQUALARM have been used to restore animal and plant life, from the sudden deterioration in water quality. Bio-monitoring is an important tool which can help in determination of the impacts on aquatic ecosystem due to various reasons including: non - availability of water in non-monsoon periods, low oxygen conditions and eutrophication, high Fecal Coliform numbers, presence of heavy metals and pesticides, elimination of sensitive species and damage due to autochthonous and allochthonous pollution. Initiatives of Central Pollution Control Board on validation of bio- monitoring methodology on various other rivers in India over last two decades, has ultimately resulted in to formulation of action plan for improvement in water quality of River Ganga. ix Average Saprobic score – 5.12 Average Diversity score – 0.66 Biological Water quality Class – C Biological Water Quality – Moderate Pollution Indicator Colour – Green Message Generally, the water quality management is related to identified beneficial uses of water. If a water body is put to multiple use, then the use which demands the highest quality of water is called the designated-best-use. Measurement of chemical and physical and bacteriological characteristics have been used so far either to detect pollution or to control it. Biological effects often occur at concentrations below analytical capabilities. Many of the pollutants are present in such low concentrations that instrument sensitivity is too poor to determine the micro quantity of pollutants. Biological monitoring of water quality could be useful for assessing the overall health of water bodies if some problems of rivers in India, could be solved. These problems are related to great annual variation in flow due to heavy monsoon in limited period, unstable river bed causing regular flushing of biotic communities, sudden flushing of rivers, in wake of agricultural development, the rivers are being trapped at several places and in dry weather not allowed to flow in the downstream which breaks the continuity of the river and destroy lot of habitats, sudden flushing of deposited pollutants in the vicinity of major pollution outfall causing great damage to the ecosystem, human activities, including cattle wading and water melon farming, brick industries etc damage the habitat of the flood plain of rivers. Bio-monitoring is a highly specified methodology and needs to be performed during biologically mature period of a year to get fruitful results. The entire biological system established during non-monsoon period is flushed because of the floods, After the monsoon receded, the biological system starts reestablishment. After gradual succession, “mature “ecosystem” establishes which is the appropriate time for bio-monitoring. To understand the life cycle pattern, taxonomical identification of biological community is essential. The contents of this book not only elaborate the characters but also its distribution in various habitats and will be useful to compare the benthic fauna of River Ganga, in the years to come. xi Table of Contents PAGE NO. 1.0 INTRODUCTION TO BIO-MONITORING IN INDIA 1 2.0 METHODOLOGY 3 3.0 CLASSIFICATION OF FRESH WATER BENTHIC MACRO-INVERTEBRAES OF RIVER GANGA 11 3.1 PHYLUM MOLLUSCA 11 3.1.1 CLASS BIVALVIA 12 3.1.2 CLASS GASTROPODA 26 3.1.2.1 ORDER PULMONATA 27 3.1.2.2 ORDER PROSOBRANCHIA (OPERCULATA) 31 3.2 PHYLUM ARTHROPODA 42 3.2.1 CLASS CRUSTACEA 43 3.2.1.1 ORDER AMPHIPODA 44 3.2.1.2 ORDER ISOPODA 44 3.2.1.3 ORDER DECAPODA 48 3.2.1.4 ORDER MYSIDACEA 72 3.2.2 CLASS INSECTA 73 3.2.2.1 ORDER EPHEMEROPTERA 73 3.2.2.2 ORDER PLECOPTERA 87 3.2.2.3 ORDER TRICHOPTERA 88 3.2.2.4 ORDER ODONATA 97 3.2.2.5 ORDER HEMIPTERA 113 3.2.2.6 ORDER COLEOPTERA 126 3.2.2.7 ORDER DIPTERA 147 3.2.2.8 ORDER LEPIDOPTERA 161 xv 3.3 PHYLUM ANNELIDA 164 3.3.1 CLASS HIRUDINEA 164 3.3.2 CLASS CHAETOPODA 168 3.3.2.1 ORDER POLYCHAETA 169 3.3.2.2 ORDER OLIGOCHAETA 173 3.4 PHYLUM PLATYHELMINTHES 182 3.5 INDEX 1 xvi 3.1.1.1 Family Corbiculidae, Page, 12, 305 3.1.1.1.1 Corbicula assamensis (Plate 1, Figure 1, 2), Page 12, 13, 185, 189 3.1.1.1.2 Corbicula striatella (Plate 1, Figure 3), Page 13, 185, 189 3.1.1.1.3 Corbicula bensoni (Plate 1, Figure 4), Page 14, 185, 189 3.1.1.2 Family Amblemidae, Page 14, 15, 303 3.1.1.2.1 Parreysia corrugata laevirostris juvenile (Plate 1, Figure 5, 6), Page 14, 15, 185 189 3.1.1.2.2 Parreysia virudula (Plate 1, Figure 7, 8), Page, 15, 185, 189 3.1.1.2.3 Parreysia favidens favidens juvenile (Plate 1, Figure 9), Page 15, 16, 185, 189 3.1.1.2.4 Parreysia favidens favidens (Plate 1, Figure 10), Page 16, 17, 185, 189 3.1.1.2.5 Parreysia triembolus (Plate 1, Figure 11, 12, 13), Page 17, 185, 186, 189 3.1.1.2.6 Radiatula pachysoma (Plate 1. Figure 14), Page 17, 186, 190 3.1.1.2.7 Radiatula occata juvenile (Plate 1, Figure 15), Page 18, 186, 190 3.1.1.2.8 Radiatula occata (Plate 1, Figure 16, 17), Page 18, 186, 190 3.1.1.2.9 Radiatula caerulea juvenile (Plate 1, Figure 18) Page 19, 186, 190 3.1.1.2.10 Radiatula olivaria juvenile (Plate 1, Figure 19), Page 19, 20, 186, 190 3.1.1.3 Family Unionidae, Page 20, 303 3.1.1.3.1 Lamellidens sp.