Abstract

GRANJA-FERNANDEZ, M. Rebeca  and  LOPEZ-PEREZ, R. Andrés. New records of ophiuroids (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea) from localities at Zihuatanejo (Guerrero) and Puerto Escondido (Oaxaca), Mexican Pacific. Rev. Mex. Biodiv. [online]. 2011, vol.82, n.4, pp. 1320-1323. ISSN 1870-3453.

New records of ophiuroids from localities at Zihuatanejo, Guerrero and Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca in the Mexican Pacific are presented. Based on specimens collected on diverse substrata, 12 species were identified; Ophiocoma alexandri Lyman, 1860 and Ophiothela mirabilis (Verrill, 1867) being the most widely distributed. The larger number of recorded species compared to previous studies may result from a spatially broader sampling and a more thorough survey involving a larger variety of substrata. New substrata for O. mirabilis and Ophioderma panamensis Lütken, 1859 are reported. We document, for first time, the relationship between a juvenile of O. alexandri and a hydrozoan of the order Leptothecata in the Eastern Pacific. Although this paper documents a significant increase in the number of recorded species in the study area, we highlight the need for a large scale survey in the tropical Mexican Pacific, along with a more thorough sampling on a larger number of substrata in order to increase our knowledge about ophiuroids in the area.

Keywords : echinoderms; Mexican Pacific; new records; substratum.