Endoxocrinus (Diplocrinus) kexuei, a new species of stalked crinoid (Echinodermata, Crinoidea, Isocrinida, Balanocrinidae) from rotten wood in the cold seep area of the Taixinan Basin, South China Sea

By

Sun, Shaoe
Mei, Zijie
Zhongli, Sha

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2025-6-12

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

1241

Pages

185--204

Subjects

cold seeps , Endoxocrinus , new species , South China Sea , stalked crinoids , systematics

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1241.128991

 

Abstract

A new species of stalked crinoid, Endoxocrinus (Diplocrinus) kexueisp. nov. belonging to the family Balanocrinidae, is described from cold seeps in the South China Sea. The general appearance of the new species is similar to E. (Diplocrinus) alternicirrus, but can be distinguished from its congener in both morphological characteristics and significant genetic divergences. Endoxocrinus (Diplocrinus) kexueisp. nov. shows cryptosymplexies without marked symmorphy, and an axial canal usually incompletely filled with a lattice needlelike network, preserving an irregular secondary lumen. The new species attribution is well supported by genetic distance based on the mitochondrial c oxidase subunit I (COI), and molecular phylogenetic analyses based on COI and 16S rRNA. This discovery enhances our understanding of species diversity of Endoxocrinus crinoids in the South China Sea.