Studies on Chaetognatha of the Indian EEZ

The Phylum Chaetognatha, the members of which are popularly known as 'arrow worms'is a holoplanklonic group found in all the oceans in the epi. mesa and bathypelagic zones. The animals play a vital role in the marine food web forming food for a variety of animals and themselves feeding on a host of zooplankters. Recognising the importance of chaetognaths in the marine ecosystem, the CMFRI had taken up irwestigations on different aspects of these organisms to understand their role as predator and prey in the food chain. The facilities offered by several ocean going research vessels enabled us to get a comprehensive picture of the chaeiognaths of our EEZ. The present paper is a digest of the work done at the CMFRI on the distribution, ecology, biology and taxonomy of the Chaetognatha of the Indian EEZ