New record of the irregular sea urchin Rhynobrissus cuneus (Echinoidea: Brissidae)

Abstract

Rhynobrissus cuneus is a rare sea urchin species from the northern Atlantic Ocean. This echinoid was first described from 2 specimens collected in North Carolina, USA in 1956, and no other specimens have been reported since. We describe the external morphology of 7 specimens of R. cuneus collected in the state of Veracruz, Mexico in the southern Gulf of Mexico. This record extends the southern range of this species and provides further data on its habitat and bathymetric distribution. The species may eventually prove to have a wide but patchy distribution.