Taxonomic guide and historical review of starfishes in northeastern Brazil (Echinodermata, Asteroidea)

The correlation between echinoderms diversity and physicochemical parameters in marine pollution: A case study of the Persian Gulf coastline

This study was conducted with the aim of investigating the correlation between echinoderms diversity and physicochemical parameters in the Persian Gulf coastline in Bushehr province in 4 seasons from March to December 2017. The physicochemical parameters including water temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO), electrical conductivity (EC), salinity, pH and turbidity were measured at each sampling location. The results showed a significant correlation between echinoderms diversity and physicochemical parameters. The correlation coefficient of the Astropecten polyacanthus species with the parameters of temperature, DO, EC, salinity and turbidity was reported as -0.41, 0.64, -0.25, -0.44 and 0.60 respectively. This coefficient for the Ophiothrix fragilis species was reported as -0.68, 0.70, -0.21, -0.36 and -0.55 respectively. The results demonstrated that the most sensitive species were Astropecten polyacanthus and Ophiothrix fragilis respectively. The different species of echinoderms can be used as biological indicators of pollution in evaluating the physicochemical quality of marine environments.

Catalogue of living crinoids (Echinodermata: Crinoidea) from Brazil

Knowledge of living crinoids from Brazil is chiefly restricted to the contributions of Dr Luis Roberto Tommasi between the decades of 1950 and 1970. Herein we present an updated catalogue of the crinoids occurring along the Brazilian coast, including data on synonyms, type localities, type material, geographical distribution, bathymetric ranges, and occurrences of species along the coast. The data is based on an extensive revision of the literature and on a survey of several databases. A total of 20 species were catalogued, of which two are endemic (Phrixometra longipinna var. brasiliensis and Thaumatometra minutissima). According to information from the literature, P. longipinna var. brasiliensis represents an undescribed taxon. Although Brazil supports the greatest number of crinoid species in the Southwestern Atlantic, its crinoid fauna remains understudied and likely underestimated. Research on crinoids remains a subject of great potential, not only for taxonomy but also for other areas of knowledge.

The Echinoderm Fauna of the Azores (NE Atlantic Ocean)

In more than 150 years of research in the waters surrounding the Azores, several publications on the fauna of echinoderms of the archipelago have been produced, in the form of papers, notes, reports, reviews, and monographs. This work attempts to summarize the present knowledge on this marine group in the Azorean exclusive economic zone (i.e., waters within 200 nautical miles of the archipelago's shores). A short review of the history of the species' taxonomy is given, with key references, geographical distribution, ecology, additional notes and, when possible, figures. We herein report 172 species of echinoderms (6 crinoids, 55 ophiuroids, 45 asteroids, 36 holothurians, and 30 echinoids) from the Azores Archipelago, most of them inhabiting deep waters (>200 m). Only 29 shallow-water species were recorded locally (≤50 m depth). In general, the echinoderm species present in the Azores are characterized by a wide geographical distribution in the Atlantic Ocean. Only nine taxa (all deep-water species, >840 m) appear to be restricted to the Azorean waters. Overall, the knowledge of the echinoderm fauna of the Azores is out-dated, with many species last collected in the archipelago over 100 years ago. A recent interest in the Azorean Mid-Atlantic waters has brought oceanographic cruises back to the archipelago, thus providing new opportunities for the renewal of 150 years of echinoderm studies in the area.