INDIAN OCEAN ECHINODERMS 



73 



RESULTS 



Class Ophiuroidea 



Family GORGONOCEPHALIDAE 



1. Astroboa nuda (Lyman, 1874) 



See. Clark &Rowe, 1971: 78; 92; Clark &Courtman Stock, 1976: 

 108; 130; Baker, 1980: 60; Rowe & Gates, 1995: 364. 



Material. 8 1 0504D/3 ( 1 ), 8 1 0504D/4 ( 1 ). 



Collection sites. NW Klah, Pula We, Sumatra. 



Habitat and depth. Subtidal rock/coral; 13 m. 



Family AMPHIURIDAE 



2. Amphiura (Amphiura) dejectoides H.L. Clark, 1939 



See. 



33. 



Clark & Rowe, 1971: 80; 97; Cherbonnier & Guille, 1978: 



Material. 810501E/8 (4); 7810428D/5 (2). 



Collection sites. Ug Tapa Gadja & Ug Seukundo, Pula We, 

 Sumatra. 



Habitat and depth. Subtidal rock / coral, coral reef; 10 & 15 m. 



Remarks. The specimens from stn 810501E/8 appear to accord 

 well with the original description (Clark, 1939) of the species and 

 descriptions in Clark & Rowe (1971) and Cherbonnier & Guille 

 (1978). The 2 specimens from stn 810428D/5 differ in their firmer 

 disc, with coarser ventral scaling and in having 6 arm spines 

 proximally instead of fine ventral scaling and 5 proximal arm spines. 

 They are identified as A. dejectoides with reservation. Clark (in 

 Clark & Rowe, 1 97 1 ) suspected Amphiura inhacensis Balinsky may 

 be conspecific with A. dejectoides H.L. Clark, a conclusion con- 

 firmed by Cherbonnier & Guille ( 1978). The records included herein 

 extend the distribution of this species eastwards across the Indian 

 Ocean from the Red Sea, East Africa and Madagascar to the Indo- 

 Malayan region. In the latter region it may prove to be widespread. 



3. Amphiura {Amphiura) micra H.L. Clark, 1938 



SEE. Clark & Rowe, 1971: 80; 97; Cherbonnier & Guille, 1978: 

 46; Rowe & Gates, 1995: 350. 



Material. 810423B/2 (1). 



Collection sites. Ug Bau, Pula We, Sumatra. 



Habitat and depth. Coral, coral reef; 10-30 m. 



Remarks. This species is recorded across the tropical coast of 

 Australia and from Madagascar. Its discovery at Pula We suggests a 

 wider distribution in the Indo-Malayan region for this very small 

 species. 



4. Amphiura (Amphichilus) ochroleuca (Brock, 1888) 



See. Clark & Rowe, 1971: 78; 100; Rowe & Gates, 1995: 344. 



Material. 810502C/1 (1), 810427B/3 (1). 



Collection SITES. SE Klah, SE Lho Pria Laot, Pula We, Sum- 

 atra. 



Habitat and depth. In sponge and on subtidal rock; 0-10 m. 



Remarks. This species is known from the Indo-Malayan region 

 and more or less circumscribes the Australian continental coastline 

 (Rowe & Gates, 1995). Pula We appears to be the most westerly 

 point of its distribution known to date. 



5. Amphioplus (Amphioplus) stenapsis H.L. Clark, 1938 



See. Clark & Rowe, 1971: 78; 101; Rowe & Gates, 1995: 344. 



Material. 810422B/4 (1). 



Collection sites. Nr. Klah / Seukundo, Pula We, Sumatra (disc 

 only). 



Habitat and depth. Coral reef, 2-8 m. 



Remarks. Although the single specimen comprises only a com- 

 plete disc with the bases of 2 arms (6 & 9 segments respectively), 

 there is little doubt of its identity. This record extends the range of the 

 species to Pula We from its type locality, Darwin, N Australia. The 

 record of A. stenapsis from Madagascar by Cherbonnier & Guille 

 (1978) is almost certainly based on a misidentification, judging by 

 the very small size of the radial shields of their specimens. The 

 confirmation of this species in the western Indian Ocean therefore 

 requires confirmation. 



6. Amphioplus (Lymanella) sp. 



Material. 8 101 09 A/lb (2). 



COLLECTION sites. Beypore, India (west coast). 



Habitat and depth. Subtidal mud, 9 m. 



Remarks. Only the mouthparts and bases of the arms are avail- 

 able to identify this taxon, which clearly represents a species of 

 Amphioplus (Lymanella). The dorsal arm plates are trilobed, sug- 

 gesting either species A. (L.) andreae (Liitken, 1872) or A. (L.) 

 laevis (Lyman, 1874) in the key provided by Clark & Rowe (1971: 

 102). Cherbonnier & Guille (1978) indicate that laevis has a wide 

 range in the Indian Ocean and Indo-Malay region, whereas Clark & 

 Rowe (1971) record andreae only from the Malay region. Without 

 complete specimens it is not possible to determine the species nor 

 indeed whether andreae and laevis are taxonomically separable. 



Family OPHIACTIDAE 



7. Ophiactis modesta Brock, 1 888 



See. Clark & Rowe, 1971: 105; Rowe & Gates, 1995: 379. 

 Material. 8 10206 A/8 (3). 

 Collection sites. Negombo, Sri Lanka. 

 Habitat and depth. Coral/rock; 5 m. 



