Echinodermata (Asteroidea, Echinoidea and Holothuroidea) of Mermaid (Rowley Shoals), Scott and Seringapatam Reefs, Western Australia

WA Museum Records and Supplements | Updated 7 years ago

ABSTRACT – A survey documenting the diversity and indicative abundance of targeted echinoderms (asteroids, echinoids and holothurians) at Mermaid, Scott and Seringapatam Reefs was conducted in September 2006. Due to logistical constraints species were counted along a single transect furnishing limited scope for statistical analysis. Echinoderms (including some ophiuroids) were collected opportunistically at each station. Fourteen species of echinoderm were collected from the NW atolls for the first time (five species of Asteroidea including a possible new species, six Ophiuroidea and three Echinodea). Voucher specimens of all but the commonest species have been lodged with the Western Australian Museum. The echinoderm fauna of Scott Reef, particularly North Scott Reef, has declined in abundance and species richness since the surveys of the 1980s. This may have been influenced by a significant coral bleaching event in 1998 and subsequent scouring by cyclonic activity. Fishing pressure at South and North Scott Reefs (but not Mermaid Reef) by Indonesian fishers has also had a drastic effect on holothurian populations to the point where oligospermy will be a serious factor.