Molluscan Diversity Present in Tawarja River at Peth in Latur District of Maharashtra

Abstract

Latur district is a part of Maharashtra's Marathwada region in the southern part, which is geographically located in the Deccan plateau between 17°52′ and 18°50′ North and 76°18′ and 79°12′ east. It is typically 631 meters (2,070 feet) above mean sea level on the Balaghat plateau. Manjara is the main river which flows on the Balaghat plateau along with its tributaries: Terna, Tawarja and Gharni. The other three tributaries of Manjara are Manyad, Teru and Lendi which flow on the northern plains. Tawarja originates near Murud in Latur taluka and joins the Manjara river at Shivani on the Latur-Ausa boundary. The study was necessary for evaluating the ecological state of water bodies with the help of freshwater molluscs with studies focusing on variety, distribution, and ecology. Two sampling sites were chosen along the Tawarja River in Peth Village for mollusk collection, and these locations were carefully organized from the river's source to its confluence point following various land use/cover patterns. Throughout the course of the research, a total of 13 taxa were noted from all sample sites. The molluscan community was represented by two classes, namely Bivalvia and Gastropoda, with three species belonging to the former and ten to the latter. Three species and one family—the Unionidae—belong to the class Bivalvia. Gastropoda class had three orders, including Mesogastropoda, three families, and seven species. The study's crucial conclusions, which demonstrated that gastropods outnumbered bivalves, were taken. These species can be utilized as bioindicators of pollution and ecosystem health. The findings of this study might contribute to better molluscan fauna management and conservation in the area.