Taxonomic guide and historical review of echinoids (Echinodermata: Echinoidea) from northeastern Brazil
Author
Gondim, Anne Isabelley
Author
Moura, Rafael Bendayan De
Author
Christoffersen, Martin Lindsey
Author
Dias, Thelma Lúcia Pereira
text
Zootaxa
2018
2018-12-10
4529
1
1
72
journal article
27829
10.11646/zootaxa.4529.1.1
ed9f2536-1317-48d5-85a9-2d98062a3cd1
1175-5326
2612564
B3EF69F4-7E42-4924-9A9F-FFF5D83022EB
Clypeaster subdepressus
(
Gray, 1825
)
Figure 10
A–H
Echinanthus subdepressus
Gray, 1825
: 427
.
Clypeaster subdepressus
L. Agassiz, 1836
: 20
.―
Rathbun, 1879
: 144
.―
Krau, 1956
: 415
–416, figs 5–10, 13, 15, 17 and 19.―
Tommasi, 1957
: 21
; 1959: 602.―
Alves & Cerqueira, 2000
: 547
.―
Ventura
et al
., 2007b
: 279
, tab.11.2; 2014: 65.–
Xavier, 2010
: 75
.–Ventura, 2013: 106, fig. 122a, b.
Stolonoclypus subdepressus
Lambert & Thiéry, 1914
: 301
.
Clypeaster
(
Stolonoclypus
)
subdepressus
Mortensen, 1948a
: 112
–116, pl. 23, figs 1–3, pl. 24, fig. 3, pl. 25, fig. 6, pl. 26, figs 1, 6, pl. 27, fig. 4, pl. 45, figs 4, 11, 14, 15.―
Tommasi, 1957
: 30
–31, figs 22―24, pl. 2, figs 3―4; 1964: 84–87; 1966a: 24.―
Cherbonnier, 1959
: 368
–370.―
Brito, 1962
: 6
; 1968: 24–25, pl. 12, fig. 3.―
Magalhães
et al.
, 2005
: 63
.
Clypeaster
(
Stolonoclypus
)
subdepressus lobatus
Bernasconi, 1956
: 35
.―
Brito, 1960a
: 3
―4; 1968: 25–26.―
Tommasi, 1964
: 84
–87; 1966b: 240–241.
Clypeaster subdepressus subdepressus
Tommasi, 1959
: 602
, 603.–
Ventura
et al
., 2007b
: 290
, app. 11.1.
Clypeaster latissimus
Krau, 1956
: 413
–427.
Clypeaster
(
Stolonoclypus
)
subdepressus subdepressus
Brito, 1960a
: 3
, pl. 1d.―
Tommasi, 1972
: 31
.
Material examined.
Bahia: 1 spm,
Salvador
,
14.IX.1997
[UFBA00072]; 1 spm,
12°54′S
28°29′W
,
Salvador
,
22.VIII.1993
[UFBA00461].
Description.
Test large (TL =
139 mm
; TW =
118 mm
), oval, with rounded margin, uniformly covered by short, thin spines, petaloid region slightly inflated (
Fig. 10
A–C). Apical system central, monobasal, with five gonopores (
Fig. 10F
). Petaloid large, slightly longer than 50% of test (
Fig. 10A, D
). Petals large, leaf-shaped (
Fig. 10A, D
). Paired petals nearly closed distally (
Fig. 10A, D
). Lunule lacking. Aboral primary spines long, slightly club-shaped. Oral primary spines long, terminating in a small hyaline point. Tubercles perforate. Areoles of aboral primary tubercles uniform in size. Oral surface flat, slightly concave around peristome (
Fig. 10B, E
). Peristome circular, central (
Fig. 10B, E, G
). Food grooves unbranched, fairly deep, not reaching ambitus (
Fig. 10E
). Periproct oral, towards posterior margin, located between third and fifth pairs of post-basicoronal interambulacral plates (
Fig. 10B, E
). Periproctal membrane densely covered by spines, with some small bivalved triphyllous pedicellariae.
Pedicellariae.
Tridentate pedicellariae more abundant in areas close to peristome and to food grooves. Ophicephalous pedicellariae more abundant on margins and triphyllous pedicellariae distributed over entire test. Tridentate pedicellariae with short stalk and neck. Valves long, narrow, with denticulate margin and slightly enlarged tip. Ophicephalous pedicellariae short, without a neck. Valves narrow, with enlarged tips, and foramen (sensu
Coppard
et al.
2012
) denticulate (
Fig. 10H
). Bivalved triphyllous pedicellariae small, with long neck and small head. Valves rounded. Some quadridentate pedicellariae were also observed.
Colour.
Colour in life yellowish, reddish, very deep brown (
Mortensen 1948a
), or olive green (
Tommasi 1966a
). Spines brownish-green. Preserved specimens are light brownish (
Mortensen 1948a
). Naked test white.
Distribution.
Florida, North Carolina,
Mexico
,
Cuba
,
Jamaica
,
Dominican Republic
,
Panama
,
Colombia
,
Venezuela
, and
Brazil
(
Alvarado 2011
;
Tommasi 1966a
). In
Brazil
from BA, RJ, SP and SC (
Tommasi 1966b
;
Alves & Cerqueira 2000
;
Magalhães
et al.
2005
;
Xavier 2010
). From
5 to 210 m
, more common between 5 and
50 m
(
Serafy 1979
;
Hendler
et al.
1995
;
Laguarda-Figueras
et al.
2005a
).
Remarks.
Presently 49 extant species of
Clypeaster
are known, making it the most speciose extant echinoid genus (
Mihaljević
et al.
2011
). In
Brazil
, there are records of five species [
C. rosaceus
(
Linnaeus, 1758
)
,
C. subdepressus
,
C. lamprus
H.L. Clark, 1914
,
C. aloysioi
(
Brito, 1959
)
and
C. oliverai
Krau, 1952
]. Both
C. aloysioi
and
C. oliverai
are endemic to southeastern
Brazil
.
Clypeaster aloysioi
differs from
C. subdepressus
in its pentagonal test, and narrower and more widely open petals.
Clypeaster oliverai
differs by having a large petaloid occupying almost the entire aboral surface, and slightly conical test in lateral view.
Clypeaster lamprus
differs by having a brown-reddish colour, a slightly pentagonal test with thick borders, and spatulate oral spines.
Mortensen (1948a)
subdivided
Clypeaster
into ten subgenera. In a study on the architecture of the test
Mihaljević
et al.
(2011)
suggested that the subgenera proposed by
Mortensen (1948a)
do not represent clades. Thus,
Mihaljević
et al.
(2011)
agree with
Serafy (1970)
,
Mooi (1989)
and
Kroh & Mooi (2016)
in not adopting any subgenera, although recognizing considerable heterogeneity among the species. In the present study, only two adults were examined, in which no morphological variations were observed.
Tommasi (1964)
gave a good discussion on the possible morphological variations found in
C. subdepressus
.
Ecological notes.
This species lives in sandy substrates or sediments formed by shell fragments. It can be found in seagrass and on sandy bottoms near coral reefs (del
Valle García
et al.
2005
).
Telford
et al.
(1978)
studied the feeding activities of
C. subdepressus
and established that individuals select particles above 400 µm in diameter for ingestion. According to
Gladfelter (1978)
, the gastropod
Cassis tuberosa
is a common predator of this species.
Clypeaster subdepressus
is common along the littoral region of southeastern
Brazil
, but appears to be rare in northeastern
Brazil
.