Agglutinated foraminifera from the Chilka Lake, Orissa, east coast of India

Sediment and water samples were collected at 50 stations from the Chilka Lake during May and December, 2009 for foraminiferal studies and determination of important sediment and water parameters. The salinity ranges from 27.9 to 40.9 parts per thousand, the temperature range is from 23.6 degrees to 32 degrees C, the dissolved oxygen content ranges from 6.4 to 8.2 ml/L and the substrate of the lake is characterized by sand, silty sand, muddy sand, clayey sand and sandy clay. Sand dominates the other types of substrate towards the mouth of the channel at Arakudha Village. Organic matter content of the sediment varies from 0.31 to 2.0 %. Fifteen agglutinated foraminiferal species - Ammobaculites agglutinans, A. directus, A. exiguus, Ammotium fragile, Gaudryina exilis, Haplophragrnoides canariense, Jadammina macrescens, Miliammina fusca, M. fusca var., Reophax dentaliniformis, Textularia earlandi, Tiphotrocha kellettae, Trochammina advena, T. hadai and T. ochracea of which Miliammina fusca, M. futsca var. and Ammobaculites exiguus are of abundant occurrence tolerating relatively higher salinity and temperature.