CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Kalamansig is a first-class municipality in the province of Sultan Kudarat

embodied with plenty of resources in both land and seas. Thus, it is known as the

Hidden Beauty of Mindanao because it possessed beautiful views that make the

place unique. The marine has a good formation of coral reefs that serve as a

shelter of the different marine species. One of the species is the Echinoderms

which is abundant both in coral reef communities as in the intertidal and shallow

sub tidal areas (Solís-Marín 2008, Ríos-Jara et al. 2008).

Echinoderm is marine invertebrate of the Phylum Echinodermata which

includes the starfishes, sea urchins and sea cucumbers having an internal

calcareous skeleton and often covered with spines as a defense mechanism.

In addition, echinoderms play a vital role in the marine ecosystem in which

lack of information is the main reason why this echinoderm species are being

destructed from their environment. In that manner, the researcher decided to

conduct this study in order to disseminate the information into the whole people

of Kalamansig that echinoderms species need protection due to their decrease in

number because the extinction of this species has a great impact to the other

species which results to ecological imbalance.

1
Objectives of the Study

The main objective of the study is to assess the diversity of echinoderms

in the shallow water along the coastal ecosystem of Poral, Sta.Maria,

Kalamansig Sultan Kudarat.

Specifically, this study aim to;

1. identify species of echinoderms found in Poral, Sta. Maria, Kalamansig,

Sultan Kudarat.

2. Describe the morphological characteristics of echinoderms present in the

area.

Significance of the Study

Through this study, present status of echinoderms in the area which is the

Sitio,Poral, Sta Maria, Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat was determined. This also

helped identified what species of echinoderms are present in the area as well as

new species that found in it.

This willalso give new inputs to the following:

Constituents/Students

It would give them an information in order to preserve the healthy

environment of echinoderms knowing that these species were also living

organisms that need to be protected because it has significance to human life as

foodfor survival.

2
Administration

Through this research, the administration can extend their services

through conducting further studies that can provide additional information for this

species and proposed for the protection and conservation of this species.

Scope and Limitation of the Study

This study was conducted in order to identify different species of

echinoderms and describe its morphological caharacteristics. This study was

conducted at SitioPoral, Sta. Maria, Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat and covered the

month of January 2016 until March 2017.

3
Operational Definition of Terms

Assessment - the evaluation or estimation of the nature, quality, or ability of

someone or something.

Echinoderm - is marine invertebrate of the Phylum Echinodermata which

includes the starfishes, sea urchins and sea cucumbers having an

internal calcareous skeleton and often covered with spines as a

defense mechanism.

Coral Reef - are diverse underwater ecosystems held together by calcium

carbonate structures secreted by corals.

Coastal Area - are commonly defined as the interface or transition areas

between land and sea, including large inland lakes.

Invertebrates - are animals that neither possess nor develop a vertebral

column, derived from the notochord.

Diversity - the state of being diverse, variety.

Phylum - also known as a division when referring to plants; is a scientific

way of grouping together related organisms.

Species - is often defined as the largest group of organisms where two

individuals are capable of reproducing fertile offspring, typically

using sexual reproduction.

Abundance - a very large quantity of something.

4
 CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Echinodermata is a phylum that is classified under the superphylum of

Deuterostomia which it shares with Chordata and Hemichodata (Cameron et al,

2000). The phylum comprises of five extant classes of echinoderms; Asteroidea,

Ophiuroidea, Echinoidea, Holothuroidea and Crinoidea (Pawson, 2007). There

was, at one point, speculation over whether concentricycloids should make up a

sixth class (Baker et al, 1986), however due to further morphological, cladistic

and molecular evidence, concentricycloids are grouped in the class of Asteroidea

(Mah, 2006). According to(Pawson, 2007),the phylum includes approximately

7000 living species and 13,000 fossil species; Asteroidea class contains the sea

stars of which there are 2100 species inhabiting the oceans today. The

Ophiuroidea is a class that contains basket stars and serpent stars or brittle stars

and encompasses 2000 living species. Echinoidea are made up of 800 species

of echinoderms known as sea urchins, heart urchins and sand dollars.

Holothurians number approximately 1400 living species more commonly known

as sea cucumbers. The Crinoidea class consist of 650 extant species of feather

stars and sea lilies. This group of animals can be briefly defined as containing a

calcium carbonate skeleton in the form of calcite, a unique water-vascular system

which is used for feeding and locomotion and a five-part radial symmetry.

However, there are many exceptions to this general body plan; some taxa of

Holothuroidea lack calcite in their walls, some Asteroidea have more than five-

part radial symmetry (some sea stars have as many as 50 arms) and many

5
echinoderms have superimposed bilateral symmetry on the radial pattern. It has

been suggested that the only unifying taxonomic characteristic of the phylum is

that all its extant members are marine.

(Barnes, 1980) reported that sea stars typically have a central disk out of which

project five arms which are narrow at the tip and then widens at the base. The

mouth is located at the center of the underside of the disk and from the mouth a

wide furrow extends into each arm within which there are two or four rows of

small tubular projections or ‘tube feet’ which are used for locomotion (Asteroidea

are carnivores that tend to feed on invertebrates, such as bivalves, polychaetes

and crustaceans though the particular diet varies among species. Ophuiroids

also possess arms however these arms are more sharply set off from the central

disk; they appear jointed due to the presence of four longitudinal rows of shields

They also do not use their tube feet for locomotion, instead they use their arms to

rapidly crawl and some species can even swim. Ophuiroids are scavengers,

deposit feeders or filter feeders; many species use their arms to trap detritus on

the mucus strand which run between the spines on the arms that they lift upward

and wave about in the water. He reported also that Echinoidea, unlike Asteroidea

and Ophiuroidea, do not have arms; they have spherical or oval bodies typically

covered by movable spines.They are generally adapted to living on rocks or

other types of hard bottoms and use their spines to crawl along the ground.

Echinoids are generalist grazers which have a mouth apparatus known as an

Aristotle’s lantern that is composed of five calcareous plates known as pyramids.

The echinoids scrape the substrates on which they live with their Aristotle’s

6
lantern, eating mostly algae but also other plant and animal material they happen

to come across; what each species will eat will depend on the area in which they

live and what is available. Moreover,like echinoids, holothurians do not have

arms; they are unique in that their polar axis is lengthened giving the body an

elongated shape. They are relatively sluggish animals that live on the bottom

surface or burrow into mud, those that do move do so with either their tube feet

similar to asteroids or by contracting their circular and longitudinal muscles in an

action akin to the borrowing of earthworms. Holothurians are chiefly deposit or

suspension feeders that use their tentacles around their mouths to sweep over

the bottom surface or hold them out in the water to trap particulate matter.

Furthermore, crinoids as they often live at depths of 100 meters and so are not

relevant to this study which focuses on echinoderms which can be found in

rockpools.

Echinoderms are an ecologically and economically significant group of

invertebrates. They are prime candidates for model toxicological test organisms

for marine ecosystems (Zito et al, 2005). This is due to reasons such as their

ubiquitous distribution, their susceptibility to micropollutants stored in marine

sediments and their sensitivity to many types of contaminants (Micael et al,

2009). The classes of echinoderms are uniquely important to the environment,

for instance deposit feeding holothurians are important bioturbators, altering the

stratification and stability of muddy and sandy bottoms (Anderson et al, 2011).

According to (Uthicke, 1999) sea cucumbers, can bioturbate the upper 5 mm of

sediment once a year (4600 kg dry weight year-1 1000 m-2) significantly

7
reducing microalgal biomass and recycling nutrients, thereby maintaining the

high productivity of these oligotrophic ecosystems (Uthicke, 2001). Holothurians

also serve as prey, particularly for crustaceans, asteroideans and fish (Francour,

1997). In addition to their ecological impact, holothurian fisheries are of great

economic and social importance to many coastal communities (Anderson et al,

2011). They form the main source of income in the Solomon Islands (Nash and

Ramofafia, 2006) and for 5000 families in Sri Lanka (Dissanayake et al, 2010) as

well as representing a large proportion of non-fish marine products from the

Maldives (Joseph, 2005).

According to (Sammarco, 1982), echinoids also play a major ecological

role in coral reefs as their grazing can contribute to the control of benthic

community structures.This control is manifested in several ways including direct

alteration and abundance of sessile prey and controlling the distribution and

abundance of coral spat . Echinoids are also of economic value as the harvest of

the roe or gonads of edible species such as Tripneustesgratillaform a major

source of livelihood for the local fishing communities in such countries as

Bolinao, Pangasinan and the Philippines (Juinio-Menez et al, 1998).

Allen (1998) reported that areas of high abundance of suspension-feeding

Ophiuroids are an important link between benthic and pelagic ecosystems in that

their feeding behavior is thought to create a flux of organic matter between these

two ecosystems,Further, (Davoult et al, 1992) believed that echinoderm is a part

of the nitrogen and carbon cycles of the coastal ecosystem.

8
 Asteroids have been documented as Keystone species for various

ecosystems, in fact when Paine (1966) first coined the term ‘Keystone species’

he was using the example of the Pisasterochraceusstarfish which lives on the

Pacific coast of North America and whose predation contributes greatly to the

biodiversity of the coastal system. Other examples of starfish species performing

critical roles include the Acanthasterplanciwhich preys upon stony corals and

Charona sp. which preys upon the Acanthaster, thus preserving the balance in

coral reef ecosystems (Cristancho& Vining, 2004).

The collecting of echinoderms for various commercial enterprises has

been a growing global threat to the phylum. According to Micael et al,( 2009).

Sea urchins and sea cucumbers are under high commercial fishing pressure and

aspects of their biology compounds the effects of overexploitation on their wild

populations. These aspects include temporal variability in the population density

of sea urchins, sporadic and unpredictable recruitment of juveniles and the

uncertainty of reproductive success of both species. Their sedentary lifestyle and

habitat requirements also makes them an easier target and more susceptible to

overfishing. Besides targeted commercial fishing, echinoderms are frequent by-

catches from use of general fishing hardware. Echinoderms are indirectly

affected by the impacts of trawls and dredges on the benthic habitat though

these effects vary according to the fragility of the habitat and the severity of

natural disturbance. Apart from the direct and indirect effects of fishing,

echinoderms are also exploited through the global trade of echinoderms for

souvenirs, home aquaria and biomedical products . Echinoderms occupy 17% of

9
the global trade for aquariums (Wabnitz et al, 2003) and little is known of the full

extent of the global use of echinoderms as souvenirs (Micael et al, 2009). To aid

conservation, it is recommended that there be an improvement of the collection

of echinoderm catch data as well as a development of a global database on the

biology, ecology, threats, monitoring and conservation of echinoderm species.

Evidently the acidification of the ocean may have an effect on

echinoderms depending on the species but it will certainly have negative effects

on echinoderms in general at the ecosystem level.

Other stressors upon echinoderm populations associated with climate

change include physical disturbance associated with storm events (which are

predicted to increase) (Solomon et al, 2007), rising ocean temperatures, rising

sea levels (which are predicted to particularly effect invertebrate nurseries of sea

grass beds and mangroves) (Lovelock and Ellison, 2007) and changes in salinity

and coastal runoff due to changes in rainfall. According to Przeslawski et al,

(2008)These both directly and indirectly impact echinoderm populations as

changing conditions leads to ecosystem community shifts which adversely affect

echinoderm biodiversity as well as the biodiversity of other marine invertebrates.

Guzman and Guevara,( 2002) reported that there have been many studies

conducted on echinoderm species spatial distributions and densities as such

data provides useful baselines to manage local pollutions in light of the

increasing harvest of echinoderms for aquarium trade and souvenirs. High

densities of Oreaster r. tended to be found in sea grass areas or on mixed

substratum of semi-coarse to fine calcareous sand where there is less run-off

10
from rivers. It was also discovered that high densities and high recruitment rates

of these starfish were found around the Bocas del Toro archipelago of Panama.

Considering the fact that only 2.8% of the shallow habitats around this area are

protected, it has been recommended that the limits of these protected areas be

expanded to include more developed and diverse coral reefs and seagrass

habitats.

One such studied species is the tropical starfish Oreaster reticulates

which inhabits mangroves, lagoons and shallow reef environments (Hendler et al,

1995). Other studies have investigated the distribution and abundance of

echinoderms within the larger investigation of benthic communities along tropical

subtidal habitats such as the study conducted in Southeastern Brazil (Oigman-

Pszczol et al, 2004). It was found that echinoderm abundances were

comparatively low compared to the phylums of other invertebrates. Further,

Oigman-Pszczol et al, (2004) sea urchins were the most abundant echinoderm

species and the analysis revealed that abundance of the sea urchins varied

significantly between sites and depths; their abundance tended to decrease with

depth. The area under study was suffering from urban growth which could be

potentially impacting the marine populations, communities and ecosystems and

so it was recommended that the biota of the subtidal zones be monitored with

taxonomic precision.

Studies have also been conducted on echinoderm distribution on a much

larger scale such as the one conducted on near-shore rocky habitats in 2010

(Iken et al). The study focused on latitudinal trends in echinoderm species

11
richness and large regional hotspots. These assessments in marine systems

are important not only from the ecological standpoint but also the public and

management standpoints; they create greater understanding for managing

marine resource use and identifying conservation priorities (Gray, 1997).

12
 Chapter III
METHODOLOGY

RESEARCH DESIGN
The design of this research is descriptive survey which limited only on

acquiring information regarding on echinoderm species that can be found in the

sampling cite.

Locale of the Study

The study was conducted at Poral Beach, Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat.

The area has a good formation of coral reefs and it is prone to human destruction

due to their over exploitation because the people who live near the coast are

mostly fisherfolk.

LEGEND:

PORAL

13
Materials

Materials serve as tool to accomplish this study. The researcher needed

the underwater camera to get documentations of the echinoderm species. The

researcher also utilized the transect line and quadrat to get the abundance of

species, protective gears, ruler to measure the size of the echinoderms as well

as the books and internet that serves as references.

Establishment of the Sampling Site

In each location, sampling stations established using transects and

quadrat to have an exact perimeter on the area to be assessed measured the

abundance and diversity of echinoderms present in the sampling area.

Installation of Transect

Transect laid in the study site measuring 100 m 2 and the quadrat used

randomly to establish sampling points.

1. Each sampling station measuring 25 square meters laid and post were

installed as a marker during collection period.

2. Using a quadrat, diversity and abundance determined, photo

documentation was done and unidentified organism was placed in a

zip lock and brought to the laboratory for further identification.

3. Identification were based on published books, reference materials and

through the internet.

14
Data Gathering Procedure

In gathering data about this research, the researcher followed a certain

step to come up with an exact data about the study.

 Letter to ask permission.

 Sampling stations were established using transect line.

 The researchers used the quadrat in each stations to determine the

abundance of echinoderms.

Identification of the species

Identification was done by using published papers on echinoderms

researches and also used books to confirm the species identity.

Below is the formula used in order to determine the relative abundance of

Echinoderm species.

Relative abundance = no. of individual of a species

X 100
no. of individuals collected (all species)

Photo Documentation

Digital and underwater camera was utilized to capture the image of species

present in the area.

15
 CHAPTER IV
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
Identification, Classification and Description of Species found in the Study
Area
There are five extant classes of Phylum Echinodermata; Asteroidea,

Ophiuroidea, Echinodea, Holothuroidea and Crinoidea.

Three-hundred thirty-four (334) individual species were found to the area.

Some of them where classified because mostly have the same genus and

species.

The following are the identification and classification of echinoderm

species found in the study area:

Figure 1. Acanthaster planci

16
Taxonomy
Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family

Animalia Echinodermata Asteroidea Valvatida Acanthasteridae

Genus Acanthaster

Species planci

Scientific name Acanthaster planci

Common Name Crown of Thorns

Local Name Dap –Ag

Description Acanthasterplanci is found throughout the Indo-Pacific region, ranging

from the Indian ocean (Red Sea and East Africa) to the Pacific (from

mainland Japan south to Lord Howe Island, and from the west coast

of Panama to the Gulf of California). This species is particularly

common on the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. (Moran,

1988a; Moran, 1988b).

Acanthasterplanci bears between 8 and 21 arms that radiate

from a central disc. Adults normally range from 250 to 350 mm in

diameter, with some individuals over 700 mm in diameter. The mouth

is located on the underside of the central disc (the aboral surface),

and light-sensitive eyespots are present at the tips of the

arms. Acanthasterplanci possesses large, venomous spines in

contrast to the short, blunt spines usually present on starfish.

Discussion The Crown-of-Thorns Seastar (Acanthasterplanci, Figure 1) is a

17
voracious predator of Scleractinian corals and poses one of the

greatest threats to coral reef ecosystems (Pratchett, 2005). Growing

to a size in excess of 50cm, an adult A. planciis capable of consuming

vast quantities of coral per year. At outbreak levels this can cause

significant and lasting damage to reef communities throughout the

tropics. While A. plancioutbreaks are thought to be a natural

occurrence, coral communities already stressed by changes in global

climate, salinity and outbreaks of disease, struggle to recover from

increased levels of predation from A. planci(Birkeland, 1990). A.

plancihas a range that covers the tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific

and Red Sea, but is not known in the Caribbean

18
 Figure 2. Protoreasternodosus

Taxonomy

Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family

Animalia
Echinodermata Asteroidea Valvatida Oreasteridae

Genus Protoreaster

Species nodosus

Scientific Name Protoreaster nodosus

Common Name horned sea star or chocolate chip sea star

Description P. nodosus possess rows of spines or "horns"; black conical

points arranged in a single row, radially on the dorsal side, which may

erode and become blunt. These dark protrusions are used to scare

away possible predators, by looking frightening or dangerous. On the

19
 ventral side, tube feet, purple in color (or pale, transparent pink), are

arranged in rows on each arm. Most horned sea stars found are a

roughly rigid five-pointed star-shape with tapering arms to the end,

although there are anomalies like four or six-armed specimens; they

may grow up to 30 cm (12 in) in diameter. The sea stars are usually

colored in shades of red or brown, but can be light tan, the color of

cookie dough. This appearance, combined with the small horns on its

dorsal side, give the sea star a look similar to that of a bumpy cookie.

Discussion Protoreasternodosus (Linnaeus, 1758) is a common sea star in

shallow sand and seagrass habitats in the tropical Indo-pacific region.

It has been extensively harvested as an ornament, but little is known

of its biology and ecology. We quantitatively sampled populations at

five sites in palau to obtain baseline information on abundance,

spatial distribution, and population structure of this species in areas

unaffected by human depredation.

20
 Figure 3. Linckia laevigata

Taxonomy

Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family

Animalia Echinodermata Asteroidea Valvatida Ophidiasteridae

Genus Linckia

Species laevigata

Scientific Name Linckia laevigata

Common Name blue Linckia or blue star

Description There are some 2,000 species of sea star living in all the world’s

oceans, from tropical habitats to the cold seafloor. The five-arm

varieties are the most common, hence their name, but species with

10, 20, and even 40 arms exist.

21
They have bony, calcified skin, which protects them from most

predators, and many wear striking colors that camouflage them or

scare off potential attackers. Purely marine animals, there are no

freshwater sea stars, and only a few live in brackish water.

22
Figure 4.Luidia foliolata

Taxonomy

Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family

Animalia Echinodermata Asteroidea Paxillosida Luidiidae

Genus Luidia

Species foliolata

Scientific Name Luidia foliolata

Common Name Sandstar

Description The sand star can reach a diameter of 20 cm. The five arms are

short and the flattened body seems stiff when touching it. The

upper (dorsal) side comes in shades of pink, pale reddish violet or

orange. The oral side is light beige or white. The arms are edged

23
by clearly visible plates, each with a conical spine, contributing to

its characteristic appearance.

24
 Figure 5. Culcitanovaeguineae

Taxonomy

Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family

Animalia Echinodermata Asteroidea Valvatida Oreasteridae

Genus Culcita

Species novaeguineae

Scientific Name Culcita novaeguineae

Common Name cushion star

Description A mature C. novaeguineae is pentagonal in shape with an inflated

appearance and much-abbreviated arms. It can grow to a diameter of

30 cm (12 in). Rows of tube feet are on the underside, and it has a

central mouth. The color is very variable and includes a mottling with

25
darker and lighter shades of fawn, brown, orange, yellow and

green the armored body wall is made of calcareous ossicles which

are supported internally by pillars which buttress the ambulacra. The

armoring contains pits into which the tube feet can be retracted. The

body cavity is filled with water. Small cushion stars are very different

in appearance. They are star-shaped, with five short, broad arms and

a low profile. As they grow, the inter-arm areas fill in and expand

relative to the tube-feet areas, and the arms get shorter relative to the

disc which becomes inflated and more massive.

26
Figure 6. Culcita schmideliana

Taxonomy

Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family

Animalia Echinodermata Asteroidea Valvatida Oreasteridae

Genus Culcita

Species schmideliana

Scientific Name Culcita schmideliana

Common Name cushion star

Description Culcitaschmideliana is a roughly pentagonal starfish with a leathery

surface and an inflated appearance. It is subglobose in shape with

a very convex aboral (upper) surface and flat base. The aboral

surface is scattered with small conical spines and the oral (under)

27
surface has small granulations and is clad in large conical

tubercles, those nearest the ambulacral grooves and the margin

being ovate in cross section and the largest. This starfish varies in

color but often has a greyish background with small pink patches

mostly adjacent to black tubercles. This starfish often has several

commensal animals in its body cavity or on its surface.

28
Figure 7. Linckia guildingi

Taxonomy

Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family

Animalia Echinodermata Asteroidea Valvatida Ophidiasteridae

Genus Linckia

Species guildingi

Scientific Name Linckia guildingi

Common Name common comet star

Description L. guildingi has a small disc and usually 5 (occasionally 4 or 6) long

cylindrical arms. The upper surface appears smooth but is in fact

rough to the touch with low, firm nodules. Though this starfish is often

29
green, it comes in a range of colors including various shades of

brown, blue and dull red.

30
Figure 8. Choriaster granulatus

Taxonomy

Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family

Animalia Echinodermata Asteroidea Valvatida Oreasteridae

Genus Choriaster

Species granulatus

Scientific Name Choriaster granulatus

Common Name granulated sea star

Description Choriastergranulatus is a large seastar, and is easily identified by

its five distinctive large, short, thick conical arms. It is usually pale

31
pink in color, has small, brown papillae in clusters located in the

central part of its body. This species grows to a maximum radius of

approximately 27 cm.

32
 Figure 9. Diadema setosum

Taxonomy

Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family

Animalia Echinodermata : Echinoidea Diadematoida Diadematidae

Genus Diadema

Species setosum

Scientific Name Diadema setosum

Common Name Long-spined Sea Urchin

Local Name Tuyom

33
Description The Black Longspine Urchin, also known as Long-spined Sea Urchin,

has a body which is predominately black with a red eyespot in the

center. The spines on these urchins are long, thin and completely

black. They are a very delicate looking urchin, which are actually very

capable of protecting itself. These urchins are excellent algae

controllers for an aquarium housing aggressive fish.

Be aware, it is venomous, with its sting being roughly

equivalent to that of a bee sting.

The diet may be supplemented with dried seaweed.

34
Figure 10. Echinometramathaei

Taxonomy

Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family

Animalia Echinodermata : Echinoidea Camarodonta Echinometridae

Genus Echinometra

Species mathaei

Scientific Name Echinometra mathaei

Local Name Tuyom

35
Description Echinometramathaei grows to a test diameter of about 5 centimeters

(2.0 in). The color is quite variable but the test is usually a dark color.

The spines are sometimes green and purple with purple tips or

entirely green with purple tips but this sea urchin can be distinguished

from other species by a characteristic pale ring at the base of each

spine.

Discussion Genus Echinometra species generally occur throughout the

tropical Pacific and also from East Africa to the Indian Ocean

(Clark and Rowe, 1971). This genus contains seven extant

species, including E. insularis, E. lucunter, E. l. polypora, E.

mathaei, E. m. oblonga, E. vanbrunti, and E. viridis(Kroh

and Mooi, 2012). Among them, E. mathaei is widely distributed over

the Indo-Pacific region from the Red Sea to Hawaii,

Australia, and southern Japan (Mortensen, 1943; Nisiyama,

1966). This species was first described by Blainville (1825)

based on a single specimen from Mauritius, East Africa.

36
Figure 11. Psammechinus microtuberculatus

Taxonomy

Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family

Animalia Echinodermata : Echinoidea Camarodonta Parechinidae

Genus Psammechinus

Species microtuberculatus

Scientific Name Psammechinus microtuberculatus

Common Swaki

Name

Description This is a small, brown, herbivoroussea urchin nearly spherical in

shape. It has with short spines greenish or whitish in color. It grows to

a maximum diameter of 5 centimeters.

37
Figure 12. Echinarachnius parma

Taxonomy

Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family

Animalia Echinodermata Echinoidea Clypeasteroida Echinarachniidae

Genus Echinarachnius

Species parma

Scientific Name Echinarachnius parma

Common Name Sand Dollars

Description The tests (shells) of these sand dollars are round, flat and disc-like,

typically measuring 3 inches (7.6 cm) in diameter. The entire shell is

also covered with maroon-colored moveable spines. Color is a

purplish brown, but they become bleached white when washed

ashore. The other echinoderms, five radial furrows branch from the

mouth on the animal's underside.

38
Figure 13. Bohadschiamarmorata

Taxonomy

Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family

Animalia Echinodermata Holothuroidea Aspidochirotida Holothuriidae

Genus Bohadschia

Species marmorata

Scientific Name Bohadschia marmorata

Common Name Sea Cucumber

Local Name Balat

Description Bohadschiamarmorata is cylindrical in shape and grows to about 35

centimeters (14 in) long. The body wall is tough and leathery and has

a rough texture due to the calcareous spicules it contains. It is

39
covered in translucent papillae up to 1 centimeter (0.39 in) across and

a few short spines. The anterior end of the body is somewhat

narrowed and has a mouth surrounded by a ring of

retractile tentacles. The posterior end is rounded and has an anal

opening. Adjoining this is the cloaca through which defensive white

sticky threads, the cuvierian tubes, may be ejected when the animal is

stressed. The cloaca is also connected to the respiratory tree, into

and out of which water is pumped for gas exchange.

40
Figure 14. Pearsonothuria graeffei

Taxonomy

Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family

Animalia Echinodermata Holothuroidea Aspidochirotida Holothuriidae

Genus Pearsonothuria

Species graeffei

Scientific Name Pearsonothuria graeffei

Common Name Sea Cucumber

Local Name BalatHanginan

Discussion This is a coral reef species rarely found in depths of more than 25 m;

mostly found on reef slopes close to the coast; abundant on corals

41
mixed with calcareous red algae. In the Western Central Pacific

region, this species can be found in reef slopes and protected back

reef areas in patch reef close to the coast between 0 and 25 m

(Kinch et al. 2008). In Africa and the Indian Ocean region, this species

prefers to inhabit living corals in shallow reefs. It often feeds during

the day and night on detritus. In Kenya, this species is often found

grazing on dead coral and sponges (Samyn 2000). This species does

not burrow. Little is known on its biology (Conand 2008). In Japan, it

lives in sandy areas and reef zones between 5 and 20 m (Bruckner

2005).

In the Great Barrier Reef (Australia), this species reproduces between

November and February (Kinch et al. 2008). The juveniles of this

species are very different from the adult, resembling toxic

nudibranchs (Samyn et al. 2006, Conand 2008). This species is

known to host the pearl fish Carapusboraborensis (Eeckhaut et

al. 2004).

This species is widespread in the Indo-Pacific, and is considered

common. It is heavily fished in at least 25% of its range (Philippines,

Indonesia, Malaysia and Madagascar), however due to its low

commercial value, it is not readily fished in the other parts of its range.

It is listed as Least Concern. However, this species should be

monitored, if it becomes of higher value or as other high value species

become depleted.

42
Figure 15. Ophiocoma erinaceus

Taxonomy

Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family

Animalia Echinodermata Ophiuroidea Ophiurida Ophiodermatidae

Genus Ophiocoma

Species erinaceus

Scientific Name Ophiocoma erinaceus

Description Brittle star, also called serpent star, any of the 2,100-living species of

marine invertebrates constituting the subclass Ophiuroidea (phylum

Echinodermata). Their long, thin arms—usually five and often forked

and spiny—are distinctly set off from the small disk-shaped body.

43
The arms readily break off but soon regrow—are regenerated. The

mouth, on the underside of the body, has five teeth; an anus is

lacking; and the tube feet serve mainly as sense organs for detecting

light and odor. The animal feeds by extending one or more arms into

the water or over the mud, the other arms serving as anchors. Brittle

stars are mainly deposit feeders, scavengers, and plankton feeders;

however, they sometimes trap sizable animals. They are capable of

moving jerkily but usually cling to the seafloor or to sponges or

cnidarians.

44
 Table 1. Number of individual species found in different sampling station

Species No. of Individual Species

Station 1 Station 2 Station 3 Station 4 Station 5 Total

Class Asteroidea

Acanthaster planci 0 0 0 1 1 2

Protoreaster nodosus 1 1 0 4 1 7
Linckia laevigate 7 6 8 5 4 30

Luidia foliolata 1 0 0 0 1 2

Culcita novaeguineae 0 0 1 0 0 1

Culcita schmideliana 0 1 0 0 0 1

Choriaster granulatus 0 1 0 0 1 2

Linckia guildingi 1 0 0 0 1 2

TOTAL 47

Class Ophiuroidea

Ophiocoma erinaceus 0 2 1 1 0 4
Class Echinoidea

Diadema setosum 17 23 54 22 15 131

Psammechinus 7 5 11 6 5 34
microtuberculatus
Echinometra mathaei 32 13 18 15 18 96

Echinarachnius parma 5 3 4 5 0 17
Total 278
Class Holothuroidea

45
Bohadschia marmorata 0 0 0 1 0 1
Pearsonothuria graeffei 0 2 1 1 0 4

Total 5
Class Crinoidea
Feather stars and 0 0 0 0 0 0
Sea lilies
Overall Total 334

Based on the table, there are three hundred thirty-four (334) species of

echinoderms accounted in the study area. There are 47 species belong to Class

Asteroidea, two (2) of these are Acanthaster planci, seven (7) species of

Protoreasternodosus, thirty (30) species of Linckialaevigate, two (2) species of

Luidiafoliolata, one (1) species of Culcitanovaeguineae and one (1) species of

Culcitaschmideliana, two species of Choriaster granulates and

Linckia guildingi.

In class Ophiuroidea, four (4) species of Ophiocomaerinaceus were found

in the study area.

There are 286 species belong to class Echinoidea, one hundred thirty-one

(131) species of Diademasetosum, thirty-four (34) species of

Psammechinusmicrotuberculatus, ninety-six (96) species of

Echinometramathaeiand seventeen (17) species of Echinarachniusparma.

In class Holothuroidea, four species ofPearsonothuriagraeffei, and one species

Bohadschiamarmorata

46
 The Crinoidea class consists of 650 extant species of feather stars and

sea lilies (Pawson, 2007). This investigation did not focus on crinoids as they

often live at depths of 100 meters (Barnes, 1980).

Apart from the direct and indirect effects of fishing, echinoderms are also

exploited through the global trade of echinoderms for souvenirs, home aquaria

and biomedical products (Micael et al, 2009). Echinoderms occupy 17% of the

global trade for aquariums (Wabnitz et al, 2003) and little is known of the full

extent of the global use of echinoderms as souvenirs (Micael et al, 2009).

Table 2. Relative abundance of each species found in different sampling

station

Species Total no. of species all Relative Abundance

station
Class Asteroidea

Acanthaster planci 2 0.60%

Protoreaster nodosus 7 2.10%

Linckialaevigate 30 8.98%

Luidia foliolata 2 0.60%

Culcita novaeguineae 1 0.30%

Culcita schmideliana 1 0.30%

Choriaster granulatus 2 0.60%

Linckia guildingi 2 0.60%

47
 Class Ophiuroidea

Ophiocomaerinaceus 4 1.20%
Class Echinoidea

Diademasetosum 131 39.22%

Psammechinusmicrotu 34 10.18%
berculatus
Echinometramathaei 96 28.74%

Echinarachniusparma 17 5.09%
Class Holothuroidea
Bohadschiamarmortha 1 0.30%
Pearsonothuriagraeffei 4 1.20%

Total: 334 100%

Based on the table, Diademasetosumis the most abundant species in the area

with 39.22%, followed by Echinometramathaeiwith 28.74%, then,

Psammechinusmicrotuberculatus with 10.18%, followed byLinckialaevigate

8.98%, then, Echinarachniusparmawith7.49%, then, Protoreasternodosus with

2.10%, next,Pearsonothuriagraeffei and Ophiocomaerinaceuswith

1.20%,andthen, Acanthaster planci,Linckia guildingi,Luidiafoliolata and

Choriastergranulatuswith0.60% and 0.30% is Culcitanovaeguineae,

Culcitaschmideliana,Bohadschiamarmortha.

Other stressors upon echinoderm populations associated with climate

change include physical disturbance associated with storm events (which are

predicted to increase) (Solomon et al, 2007), rising ocean temperatures, rising

sea levels (which are predicted to particularly effect invertebrate nurseries of sea

48
grass beds and mangroves) (Lovelock and Ellison, 2007) and changes in salinity

and coastal runoff due to changes in rainfall (Przeslawski et al, 2008). These

both directly and indirectly impact echinoderm populations as changing

conditions leads to ecosystem community shifts which adversely affect

echinoderm biodiversity as well as the biodiversity of other marine invertebrates

(Przeslawski et al, 2008).

49
 CHAPTER V
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

Summary

Assessment of Echinoderms in Selected Coral Reefs in Kalamansig Coast

were conducted in order to determine the different species of echinoderms,

relative abundance and their description in selected coral reefs.

Three hundred thirty-four (334) individual echinoderm species were found

in the area. Accounted species were classified according to their classes and

description. The identified species were considered common due to their physical

characteristics.

Conclusion

The shallow marine areas of Kalamansig are inhabited by a wide variety of

echinoderm species. The accounted species in the study area promote a great

possibility that beyond the study site there are some unidentified species of

echinoderms needed to be discovered. Thus, protecting coral reefs is a great

way to preserve the abundance of this species.

50
Recommendation

This study showed that there are still a lot of echinoderms that needed to

be discovered in Philippine waters, since only few echinoderm species were

found along the bodies of water of Kalamansig, it is recommended that we

should be aware that echinoderm species are also living species that needs

protection and also their habitat and must develop a marine protected area

(MPA) to protect the species from extinction.

51
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APPENDICES

60
 Plating of Echinoderms Species

Figure 1.Acanthaster planci Figure 2.Protoreaster nodosus

Figure 3.Linckia laevigata Figure 4.Luidia foliolata

Figure 5.Culcita novaeguinea Figure 6.Culcita schmideliana

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 Figure 7.Linckia guildingi

Figure 8. Choriaster granulatus Figure 9.Diadema setosum

Figure 10.Echinometra mathaei Figure 11.Psammechinusmicrotuberculatus

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Figure 12.Echinarachnius parma Figure13.Bohadschia marmorata

Figure 14.Pearsonothuria graeffei Figure 15.Ophiocoma erinaceus

63