Marine Biodiversity Records A new record for Puerto

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A new record for Puerto Rico of the irregular echinoid Cassidulus  caribaearum (Echinodermata: Echinoidea) Ruber Rodríguez­Barreras, Alberto M. Sabat, Milena Benavides­Serrato and Damien R. Bontemps Marine Biodiversity Records / Volume 5 / August 2012 / e85 DOI: 10.1017/S175526721200067X, Published online: 

Link to this article: http://journals.cambridge.org/abstract_S175526721200067X How to cite this article: Ruber Rodríguez­Barreras, Alberto M. Sabat, Milena Benavides­Serrato and Damien R. Bontemps (2012). A new record for  Puerto Rico of the irregular echinoid Cassidulus caribaearum (Echinodermata: Echinoidea). Marine Biodiversity Records,5,  e85 doi:10.1017/S175526721200067X Request Permissions : Click here

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Marine Biodiversity Records, page 1 of 2. # Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 2012 doi:10.1017/S175526721200067X; Vol. 5; e85; 2012 Published online

A new record for Puerto Rico of the irregular echinoid Cassidulus caribaearum (Echinodermata: Echinoidea) ruber rodri’guez-barreras1, alberto m. sabat1, milena benavides-serrato2 and damien r. bontemps1 1

Department of Biology, University of Puerto Rico—Rı´o Piedras Campus, PO Box 23360, San Juan, PR 00931-3360, 2The Colombian Institute for Marine and Coastal Research—INVEMAR A.A. 1016, Santa Marta, Colombia

For the first time, we report the occurrence of the irregular echinoid Cassidulus caribaearum (Echinodermata: Echinoidea) in Puerto Rico. This is also the first record of this species in the Greater Antilles. Until then it had only been observed in Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama, Belize, San Marteen and the US Virgin Islands. This novel information increases its previously known distribution range and represents the sixteenth shallow water echinoid occurring in Puerto Rico.

Keywords: new record, echinoid, Cassidulus caribaearum, Puerto Rico, Caribbean Submitted 22 May 2012; accepted 25 June 2012

INTRODUCTION

Sea urchins are the most charismatic and well known organisms of the phylum Echinodermata. Puerto Rico currently accounts for 15 species of shallow water echinoids (Benavides-Serrato, 2006). The genus Cassidulus is an ancient group with species recorded since the upper Eocene while having a circumtropical distribution restricted to shallow waters (Mortensen, 1948; Kier, 1962). The irregular sea urchin Cassidulus caribaearum has been reported in Belize, the US Virgin Islands (excluding St Croix), San Marteen, Panama (Kier, 1975; Gladfelter, 1978), the Mexican and the Costa Rican Caribbean (Bravo-Tzompantzi et al., 1999; Laguarda-Figueras et al., 2005; Alvarado et al., 2008; Alvarado & Corte´s, 2009). The species is encountered at depths ranging from 0.5 to 197 m and it aggregates at densities up to 100 ind./m2 while burying in coarse sand (Gladfelter, 1978; Bravo-Tzompantzi et al., 1999). This new report increases the number of shallow water echinoids identified in Puerto Rican waters to sixteen species.

systematics Class ECHINOIDEA Order CASSIDULOIDA Clauss, 1880 Family CASSIDULIDAE Agassiz y Desor, 1846 Genus Cassidulus Lamarck, 1801 Cassidulus caribaearum Lamarck, 1801

municipality of Manatı´ (18828′ 17.93′′ N and 66826′ 59.35′′ W) on the north coast at a depth of 3 m and the Luis Pen˜a Key (18818′ 42.88′′ N and 65819′ 57.34′′ W) in the municipality of the Culebra Island at a depth of 2 m. The data are consistent with its previously recorded range. Both localities are characterized by fine calcareous sand in concurrence with its natural habitat. Two organisms and two endoskeletons were collected in October 2011. All specimens were preserved in alcohol at 90% and deposited in the collection of the Zoology Museum of the University of Puerto Rico, Rı´o Piedras Campus under the following codes: EECC-001, EECC-002, EECC-003 and EECC-004. Measurements are available in Table 1. All specimens tested have white coloration and are shaped oval. Their dorsal side holds five ambulacral petals (pentagonal) equal in length and four gonopores. The periproct is supramarginal and located close to the posterior edge. The ventral side is flat and presents the peristome. Yet, one individual possesses an additional small circular hole close to the peristomal region, probably related to drilling predation. In previous research, similar holes have been detected in irregular echinoids related to predation (Nebelsick & Kowalewski, 1999). On the other hand, the skeleton of individual EECC-001 appears laterally compressed. This kind of test abnormality has been reported before for many regular and irregular sea urchin species (Jangoux, 1987).

material examined The species was encountered at two localities of the Puerto Rican Archipelago including Playa Los Tubos in the

Corresponding author: R.R. rodrI´guez-Barreras Email: [email protected]

Table 1. Measurements of the four individuals collected of Cassidulus caribaearum. Caliper error +/2 0.05 cm.

Length (cm) Width (cm) Height (cm)

EECC-001

EECC-002

EECC-003

EECC-004

2.38 1.81 1.18

1.79 1.43 0.87

1.04 0.85 0.52

2.84 2.35 1.21

1

2

ruber rodri’ guez-barreras et al.

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Correspondence should be addressed to: R. Rodrı´guez-Barreras Department of Biology University of Puerto Rico—Rı´o Piedras Campus PO Box 23360, San Juan, PR 00931-3360 email: [email protected]