Echinoderms

Abstract

Two hundred and twenty nine species of echinoderms (Phylum Echinodermata), including feather stars, sea stars, brittle stars, sea urchins, and sea cucumbers, are reported for Costa Rica. The Class Crinoidea is represented by six species from five genera, four families and one order; the Class Holothuroidea by 49 species, 24 genera, 15 families, and 6 orders; and the Asteroidea by 50 species, in 38 genera, 19 families, and 6 orders. The most diverse classes are Ophiuroidea (69 species, 31 genera, 11 families, and 2 orders) and Echinoidea (55 species, 33 genera, 17 families, and 11 orders). The genus Holothuria is the largest with 20 species. Of the 229 species reported, 187 are from the Pacific (103 from the Pacific mainland and 124 from Isla del Coco), 44 are from the Caribbean, and there were two species in common to both coasts (Ophioderma appresum and Ophiactis savigny). Most of the taxonomic research on echinoderms was done in the first half of the twentieth century. Here, we report 50 new records from Costa Rica. Due to the lack of collections from some areas of the country and from deepwaters, it is expected that more species will be found in the future, possibly including undescribed species.