Echinostrephus molaris ( Blainville 1825 )

Yiu, Sam King Fung & Mah, Christopher L., 2024, New Ecological Observations and Occurrence for Asteroidea and Echinoidea in Hong Kong, Zootaxa 5526 (1), pp. 1-69 : 17-18

Echinostrephus molaris ( Blainville 1825)

FIGURE 8

Comments

This species is known to bore into the rock face (Clark & Liao 1995) and can withdraw deeper within the opening when disturbed, as observed in Figure 8 . This species displays the dark or lighter purple spines on the upper side and the white spines on the oral side. Echinostrephus molaris is rarely observed in Hong Kong, with only one sighting during our survey. This is consistent with statements by Liao & Clark (1995) who stated that it was an infrequently encountered species in southern China. Only two specimens have been reported from Xincun , Hainan Island ( Liao & Clark 1995). The observation documented here is new for Hong Kong.

Occurrence/Distribution

Hong Kong, 7 m.

Outside Hong Kong, Indo-Pacific from the Red Sea and the east coast of Africa southward to Durban, from the Bonin Islands to Australia and the Fiji Islands. 0–50m.

Figures

FIGURE 8. Echinostrephus molaris. In situ observation showing this species in a deep rock-face burrow. Photographer: Sam King Fung Yiu.