A Preliminary Survey Of The Macro-Invertebrate Fauna At Iture Rocky Beach, Cape Coast, Ghana
Abstract
The paper presents results of field studies conducted to ascertain the species composition and distribution of macro-invertebrates at Iture rocky beach. The belt transect method was employed to sample monthly, the organisms at different levels of the shore from January to June and in August 1994. Twenty-four different species belonging to 6 phyla were recorded. These occurred in two distinct communities, namely ocypoda-chthamalus and chthamalus-littorina communities restricted to the supratidal and the intertidal zones respectively. The barnacle, Chthamalus dentatus and the periwinkle, Littorina punctata dominated in abundance throughout the period of study. The majority of the species did not show appreciable variation in their relative abundance except Netrita atrata, Littorina cingulifera, Thais nodosa and Perna pema. The species diversity and richness have been documented to provide a basis for future monitoring and conservation strategies for this beach which is located between two adjacent tourist centres (Cape Coast and Elmina)