Malacological Survey of Shellfishes in the Coastal Areas of Capiz, Philippines

Abstract

The marine and aquatic ecosystems contain the largest volume of life globally, covering 70.8% of the Earth’s. They harbor the largest existing species of the planet, composed of 232,500,000 known species surface (Bijukumar, 2008). This study was conducted to determine the species diversity of shellfishes found in the different coastal areas of Capiz, Philippines, using a survey research method. Raw data gathered were analyzed using PAST software. The result of the study revealed that 27 species belong to 17 families of shellfishes found across the seven municipalities of Capiz. Software analysis revealed that overall, there is a high diversity of shellfishes in the sampling sites, as indicated by Shanon’s H (prime) value =3.143. The data generated in this study can serve as a baseline for future research and policymaking in the locality, considering its ecology and benefits in the ecosystem.