Clypeaster sp. indet.

Fassbender, Nico, Stefanoudis, Paris V, Filander, Zoleka Nontlantla, Gendron, Gilberte, Mah, Christopher L, Mattio, Lydiane, Mortimer, Jeanne A, Moura, Carlos J, Samaai, Toufiek, Samimi-Namin, Kaveh, Wagner, Daniel, Walton, Rowana & Woodall, Lucy C, 2021, Reef benthos of Seychelles - A field guide, Biodiversity Data Journal 9, pp. 65970-65970 : 65970

Clypeaster sp. indet.

Materials

Type status: Other material. Taxon: scientificName: Clypeaster sp.; kingdom: Animalia; phylum: Echinodermata; class: Echinoidea; order: Clypeasteroida; family: Clypeasteridae; genus: Clypeaster; scientificNameAuthorship: Lamarck, 1801; Location: waterBody: Indian Ocean; country: Seychelles; locality: Alphonse N 1, Astove W 1, D'Arros N 1, Desroches S 1, Poivre E 1 ; minimumDepthInMeters: 124.8 m; maximumDepthInMeters: 269.5 m; locationRemarks: First Descent : Seychelles Expedition ; Identification : identifiedBy: Nico Fassbender , Zoleka Filander , Paris Stefanoudis ; dateIdentified: 2019, 2020; identificationRemarks: identified only from imagery; Event : samplingProtocol: Submersible OR Remotely Operated Vehicle OR SCUBA; Record Level: basisOfRecord: Human observation

Notes

The body is dome-shaped and covered in short and fine spines, giving a smooth appearance from a distance. Maximum recorded size: 15 cm across. The main body is of light brown colour with darker pores that form a pattern on the dorsal side that resembles the outline of opened petals. Found on sand or in seagrass habitats, in deeper water often covered in seagrass fragments. Positive species identification requires microscopic examination. Collected specimens belonged to Clypeaster fervens (Fig. 139).