Ophiuroidea (Echinodermata) from coral reefs in the Mexican Pacific

By

Granja Fernández, Rebeca
Herrero Pérezrul, María Dinorah
López Pérez, Ramón Andrés
Hernández, Luis
Rodríguez Zaragoza, Fabián
Jones, Robert Wallace
Pineda López, Rubén

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2014

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

406

Pages

101-145

Subjects

Brittle stars , Checklist , identification key , Mexico , reef zones

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.406.6306

 

Abstract

There are numerous and important coral reefs in the Mexican Pacific, but scarce studies of brittle stars conducted in these ecosystems. In this regard, this work provides the first annotated checklist of brittle stars associated with coral communities and reefs in the Mexican Pacific and an illustrated key to identify the species. We also provide taxonomic descriptions, spatial and bathymetric distributions and some important remarks of the species. We report a total of 14 species of brittle stars belonging to nine genera and seven families. Ophiocnida hispida in Jalisco, Ophiophragmus papillatus in Guerrero, and Ophiothrix (Ophiothrix) spiculata and Ophiactis simplex in Colima are new distribution records. The record of O. papillatus is remarkable because the species has not been reported since its description in 1940. The brittle stars collected in this study, represent 22.2% of the total species previously reported from the Mexican Pacific. Presently, anthropogenic activities on the coral reefs of the Mexican Pacific have increased, thus the biodiversity of brittle stars in these ecosystems may be threatened.