ON A COLLECTION OF ECHINODERMATA FROM KARNATAKA COAST , INDIA

The Kamataka State of India has a 270 km long coast line bordering Arabian Sea. The habitats are mainly sandy with scattered rocks and rocky islands. The echinoderm fauna of the coast is poorly known. There are several scattered reports of echinoderms from Karnataka (see Sastry, 2007). However, the report of PatH (1953) includes the marine fauna exclusively of Kamataka and only Temnopleurus sp. of echinoderms from Karwar coast of Karnataka. Recently Sastry (2007) gave an account of Echinodermata reported from the Indian coast including 27 species mainly from the offshore locations along the Kamataka coast collected years back chiefly by the R. I. M. S. Investigator. The collections made during the recent survey of the coast by Dr. M. K. Dev Roy of ZSI along with JGP and SM of us included seven species. The asteroid Asterina burtoni is from the intertidal rocks at St. Mary Island and all the other six species are from the trash collections of the offshore fishing trawlers left on the beach. Of the seven species, the asteroid Luidia hardwicki and the two echinoids were reported earlier from the Kamataka. The other four species are additions to the fauna of the State. Further, the finding extends the known distribution of Comatella stelligera westward into Arabian Sea. Brief description of the material is given under remarks. The distribution along the Indian coast is from Sastry (2007) and elsewhere is mainly from Clark and Rowe (1971). A list of all the echinoderm species known from Karnataka is appended. SYSTEMATIC ACCOUNT


INTRODUCTION
The Kamataka State of India has a 270 km long coast line bordering Arabian Sea.The habitats are mainly sandy with scattered rocks and rocky islands.The echinoderm fauna of the coast is poorly known.There are several scattered reports of echinoderms from Karnataka (see Sastry, 2007).However, the report of PatH (1953) includes the marine fauna exclusively of Kamataka and only Temnopleurus sp. of echinoderms from Karwar coast of Karnataka.Recently Sastry (2007) gave an account of Echinodermata reported from the Indian coast including 27 species mainly from the offshore locations along the Kamataka coast collected years back chiefly by the R. I. M. S. Investigator.The collections made during the recent survey of the coast by Dr. M. K. Dev Roy of ZSI along with JGP and SM of us included seven species.The asteroid Asterina burtoni is from the intertidal rocks at St.
Mary Island and all the other six species are from the trash collections of the offshore fishing trawlers left on the beach.Of the seven species, the asteroid Luidia hardwicki and the two echinoids were reported earlier from the Kamataka.The other four species are additions to the fauna of the State.Further, the finding extends the known distribution of Comatella stelligera westward into Arabian Sea.
Brief description of the material is given under remarks.The distribution along the Indian coast is from Sastry (2007) and elsewhere is mainly from Clark and Rowe (1971).A list of all the echinoderm species known from Karnataka is appended.Clark, 1995Clark, (1996)) Remarks : Actinal plates one or two.Superomarginals vertically aligned at the interradius and wider beyond third or fourth plate.Short spinelets not prominent, extending till end of arm, proximally on the inner margin, shifting to outer margin beyond third or fourth plate, two series of spines from third to sixth plates.Inferomarginals with one pointed spine marginally and two unequal spines below it, the smaller is half the length of the other, actinal surface with pointed spinelets.Adambulacrals with three spines in the furrow and two unequal spines in the subambulacral area.About half dozen specimens contained two to eight small gastropods in the stomach.

Elsewhere
Distribution: India-Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.The species is recently recorded from Kamataka coast.

SUMMARY
Recent collections from the Kamataka (Arabian Sea) coast of India contained material of seven species of echinoderms.Of these the Crinoid Comatella stelligera, the asteroids Astropecten hemprichi and Asterina burtoni are new to the fauna of Kamataka coast.In addition, the collection included Luidia hardwicki, Temnopleurus toreumaticus and Clypeaster rarispinus already known from the coast and the holothuroid Leptopentacta javanicus which was recently reported from this coast.Further the present record of Comatella stelligera extends its distribution westward into the Arabian Sea.

Fig. 1 .FigFig. 7 .
Fig. 1.Comatella stelligera Fig. 3. Astropectn haemprichi (5-armed) The specimens are from a trawl waste and not properly preserved.Disc and arms are separate with the armament on oral side completely rubbed off and could not be identified.It appears from the nature of paxillar arrangement that the specimens belong to Luidia hardwicki among the five armed species.

:
Persian Gulf to Natal coast of South Africa and Bay of Bengal.Remarks : The specimen measures 5 mm in R and 2.5 mm in r. arms five and thick radially, madreporite single.Abactinal plates with up to four short spines.Pore series confluent interradially.Actinal plates with one to three spines.Furrow spines three, subambulacral spines two.Distribution: India-Gujarat, Lakshadweep, Tamil Nadu, Andaman and Nicobar Islands.The species is newly recorded from Kamataka coast.Remarks : Angular pits on the test plates deep and prominent.The anus is subcentral, spines transparent light olive green banded with reddish brown, as long as the horizontal diameter, five specimens as noted above are with dark spines.