Echinoderm diversity in panama: 144 years of research across the isthmus

Abstract

Panama has a diverse echinoderm fauna with 414 species recorded. This is comprised of 21 species of crinoids, 130 species of ophiuroids, 83 species of asteroids, 78 species of echinoids and 102 species of holothuroids. With the exception of crinoids, diversity of echinoderms in Panama is greater in the Pacific (270 species) than in the Caribbean (154 species). This contrasts to other invertebrate groups (e.g. corals, sponges and bryozoans), where unequal rates of speciation, extinction and migration have resulted in greater diversity in the Caribbean than in the Pacific. The earliest published article that included work on echinoderms from Panama dates back to Addison Emery Verrill in 1867, where he described new genera and species. This began a period of exploration during which most echinoderms species from Panamanian waters were described. From its inception in 1961, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute marine program in Panama has generated extensive ecological and evolutionary echinoderm research. This includes work on species distributions, population sizes, reproductive cycles, grazing and food preferences, associated organisms, bioerosion, and species die-offs. The majority of molecular phylogeographic studies in Panama have focused on echinoids, with only a few molecular studies on asteroids and ophiuroids, and none on crinoids or holothuroids. Sustainable aquaculture of echinoderms in Panama has not been developed, while the illegal extraction of bêche-de-mer continues to put pressure on holothuroid populations.