Taxonomy and distribution of irregular echinoids (Echinoidea: Irregularia) from Sri Lanka
Author
Arachchige, Gayashan M.
Author
Jayakody, Sevvandi
Author
Mooi, Rich
Author
Kroh, Andreas
text
Zootaxa
2019
2019-01-03
4541
1
1
100
journal article
27715
10.11646/zootaxa.4541.1.1
9c3fecf1-4e11-4c79-a908-e0a5abbaf3ca
1175-5326
2617460
B11E734C-218B-418C-84E6-719AB3C58AFF
Echinocyamus megapetalus
H.L. Clark, 1914
Figures 25–27
1914
Echinocyamus megapetalus
H.L. Clark
: p. 60; pl. 126.
1948b
Echinocyamus megapetalus
H. L. Clark.
—Mortensen: p. 190–191; pl. 46: figs. 48–50.
Material studied.
Nine denuded tests: WUSL/EI/152, EI/153, EI/154, EI/155, EI/156, EI/157, EI/195, EI/196, and EI/197 from Hiriketiya Bay,
Sri Lanka
.
Description.
Shape and size
—Test elongate,
3.72–7.35 mm
TL; longer than broad, width, 73–80% TL; height, 41–45% TL; oral side deeply sunken, aboral side flattened.
FIGURE 24.
Distribution map of
Clypeaster reticulatus
recorded in this study.
FIGURE 25.
Echinocyamus megapetalus
(WUSL/EI/195): A, aboral view; B, oral view; C, lateral view, right side.
Apical system
—Situated close to centre, 50–56% TL from anterior margin; with four circular gonopores, single hydropore, sometimes distorted to resemble groove with two or three hydropores (
Fig. 26
).
Ambulacra
—Petaloid region length more than half TL (75–90% TL); petal III with 7–14 pore pairs, anterior paired petals with 5–12 pore pairs, posterior paired petals with 7–13 pore pairs; petals broad, open distally; pore series diverging; interporiferous zones wider than poriferous zones.
Peristome
—Elongate pentagonal; moderate size, length 20–28% TL, width 16–22% TL, slightly anterior of centre, 38–42% TL from anterior margin, infundibulum deep.
Periproct
—Small, 9–12% TL; transversely oval; wider than long, width 11–14% TL; inframarginal, 14–23% TL from posterior margin.
Geographic range
. Indo-West Pacific, from
Mauritius
(
Clark 1914
) to Coral Sea (
Miskelly 2002
), South Pacific Islands (
Clark 1954
;
Mortensen 1948b
) and Hawaiian Islands (
Mortensen 1948b
).
Bathymetric range.
20–75 m
(
Markello 2015
).
Observed occurrence in
Sri Lanka
.
Only denuded tests were found on the beach of Hiriketiya Bay, southern coast of Sri Lanka (
Fig. 27
).
Remarks.
E. megapetalus
is recorded for the first time in
Sri Lanka
.
E. megapetalus
is similar to
E. crispus
in having a deep infundibulum but
E. megapetalus
is easily distinguished from
E. crispus
and other Indo-Pacific species by having broad, diverging petals that cover the majority of the aboral surface and by its deep infundibulum. However, studied specimens show great variation in test size and petaloid area length.