Tropiometra carinata (Lamarck)

Sastry, D. R. K., Marimuthu, N. & Rajan, Rajkumar, 2019, Echinodermata of Lakshadweep, Arabian Sea with the description of a new genus and a species, Records of the Zoological Survey of India 119 (4) : -

Tropiometra carinata (Lamarck)

1816. Comatula carinata Lamarck, J.B.P.A. de. Hist. nat . anim. s. vert. 2: 534.

1971. Tropiometra carinata : Clark, A.M. and Rowe, F.W.E. Monograph of shallow-water Indo-West Pacific echinoderms. 10-11 (distribution) and 25 (key).

2007. Tropiometra carinata : Sastry, D.R.K. Rec. Zool. Surv. India, Occ. Paper No. 271: 19

Material: AGN. DT. 20.11.2018. One spec. AG-26 A. Dt .

03.02.2018. One spec. KA-40 . Dt. 15.02.2018. One spec. KA-

48. Dt. 15.02.2018. One spec. KA-50 . Dt. 15.02.2018. Two specs. KP-14 .Dt. 20.02.2018. One spec. KP-12 .Dt. 20.02.2018. Three spec. KP-25 . Dt. 21.02.2018. Two specs. KP-36 . Dt .

21.02.2018. Three specs. KP-2 . Dt . 20.02.2018. One spec. KP-5 . Dt . 20.02.2018. Four specs. KP-7 . Dt . 20.02.2018. Two specs. KP-26 .Dt . 21.02.2018. One spec. KP-27 .Dt . 21.02.2018. Two specs. KV-26 . Dt . 03.12.2018. One spec. PMPN18 . Dt .

22.11.2018.Two specs. KP28 . Dt . 21.02.2018. Four specs.

Description: Arms 10, 35-80 mm long. Pinnules stiff and prismatic, gradually become shorter and slender. Cirri 10-15, sometimes robust and short, with 11 to 16 segments, distal segments transversely thickened dorsally mostly at the distal margin. Cirri and distal segments with transverse dorsal thickening.

Remarks: One spec from B-35. Dt. 4.2.2018 has 10 arms of 40 mm length and very slender and long cirri with up to 20 segments. Distal cirrus segments have the dorsal thickening like a projection towards distal sometimes appearing almost like a spine.

Distribution: Lakshadweep, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Elsewhere: Red Sea and East coast of Africa to East Indies. The species is newly recorded from Lakshadweep.

Class ASTEROIDEA

Order VALVATIDA

Family ACANTHASTERIDAE

Acanthaster planci (Linnaeus)

(Pl. III. Fig. a,b)

1758. Asterias planci : Linnaeus, C. Systema Naturae. Ed. 10: 823.

1840. Echinaster ellisi Gray, J.E. Ann. Mag. nat . Hist. 6 (1): 281. WoRMS

1971. Acanthaster planci : Clark, A.M. and Rowe, F.W.E. Monograph of shallow-water Indo-West Pacific echinoderms, p. 71 (key), p. 38-39 (distribution).

1991. Acanthaster planci : Sastry. D.R.K. State Fauna Series 2: Fauna of Lakshadweep, p. 372.

1993. Acanthaster planci : Clark, A.M. Echinoderm studies. 4: 323.

2007. Acanthaster planci : Sastry, D.R.K. Rec. zool. Surv. India Occ. Paper No. 271: 67

Material: AG-4. Dt. 03.02.2018 One spec. MCYN18-127 . Dt .

28.11.2018. One spec. Arms 15, R/r = 40/ 15 mm, spines long.

Distribution: Goa, Lakshadweep, Andamans and Nicobars. Elsewhere: Tropicopolitan, Red Sea and East Africa to Hawaiian Island, in the Indo-west Pacific, Galapagos Islands to Gulf of California in the East Pacific with Echinaster ellisi (Gray) as a synonym as per WoRMS.