琉球列島の海底洞窟から得られたクモヒトデ類について

抄録

Ophiuroidea is the largest class of echinoderms and can be found in a great variety of marine habitats such as: in interstices in sponges and hard corals; on muddy ground; infaunally buried in sediments; under rocks; and on the surfaces of various animals such as soft corals. Very few species, however, have been recorded from submarine caves and only one anchialine endemic species, Amphicutis stygobita Pomory, Carpenter & Winter, 2011 is known from Bernier Cave, Bahamas, and three undescribed species were inferred by molecular phylogenetic analysis based on the specimens collected from Mexico. During the course of benthic faunal surveys in three submarine caves of the Ryukyu Islands, southwestern Japan, at 2016 to 2018, 19 ophiuroid species in of 13 genera from 8 families were recorded.