Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer
Type: Articles
Published: 2010-08-03
Page range: 60–68
Abstract views: 33
PDF downloaded: 1

Sipunculans and Echiurans of Isla del Coco (Cocos Island), Costa Rica

Museum of Comparative Zoology (MCZ), Harvard University, 26 Oxford St., Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, 100 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, Massachusetts 02125-9939, USA
Centro de Investigación en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología (CIMAR), Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR), San Pedro, 11501–2060 San José, Costa Rica
Centro de Investigación en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología (CIMAR), Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR), San Pedro, 11501–2060 San José, Costa Rica
Museo de Zoologia, Escuela de Biologia, Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR), 11501-2060 San Pedro, 11501-2060 San José, Costa Rica
Museum of Comparative Zoology (MCZ), Harvard University, 26 Oxford St., Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
Annelida Sipuncula Echiura Siphonosoma Antillesoma Phascolosoma Aspidosiphon Thalessema Costa Rica Eastern Pacific

Abstract

The sipunculan fauna of Isla del Coco was found to be quite diverse with eleven species reported. Several of the sipunculan species, as well as the echiuran Thalassema steinbecki, have been encountered previously from Pacific Costa Rica. More surprising is the occurrence of several species of sipunculans not previously known from the eastern Pacific region such as Siphonosoma cumanense, Phascolosoma scolops, Aspidosiphon gosnoldi, A. misakiensis, and A. (Paraspidosiphon) laevis. Possible larval sources for those species previously unknown from this region are discussed. The identity of specimens previously identified as Phascolosoma perlucens from Pacific Costa Rica are in question and are referred to as P. sp. The presence of anastomosing longitudinal muscle bands as being characteristic of the genus Siphonosoma is discussed.

References

  1. Aguilar, T. (2000) Paleontología. In: Denyer, P. & Kussmaul, S. (eds.), Geología de Costa Rica. Editorial Tecnologica de Costa Rica, Cartago, Costa Rica, pp. 87–100.

    Alvarado, J.J. & Chiriboga, A. (2008) Distribución y abundancia de equinodermos en las aguas someras de la Isla del Coco, Costa Rica (Pacífico Oriental). Revista Biologia Tropical, 56 (Suppl. 2), 99–111.

    Breedy, O. & Cortés, J. (2008) Octocorals (Coelenterata: Anthozoa: Octocorallia) of Isla del Coco, Costa Rica. Revista Biologia Tropical, 56 (Suppl. 2),71–77.

    Cajiao, M.V. (2008) Aspectos legales relacionados con el Parque Nacional Isla del Coco, Costa Rica. Revista Biologia Tropical, 56 (Suppl. 2), 207–214.

    Carlton, J.T. & Geller, J.B. (1993) Ecological roulette: the global transport of nonindigenous marine organisms. Science, 261(5117), 78–82.

    Coates, A.G., Jackson, J.B.C., Collins, L.S., Cronin, T.M., Dowsett, H.J., Bybell, L.M., Jung, P. & Obando, J.A. (1992) Closure of the Isthmus of Panama: The near-shore marine records of Costa Rica and western Panama. Geological Society of America Bulletin, 104(1), 14–28.

    Cortés, J. (1997) Biology and geology of coral reefs of the eastern Pacific. Coral Reefs 16 (Suppl.), S39–S46.

    Cortés, J. (2008) Historia de la investigación marina de la Isla del Coco, Costa Rica. Revista Biologia Tropical, 56 (Suppl. 2), 1–18.

    Cortés, J. & Wehrtmann, I.S. (2009) Diversity of marine habitats of the Caribbean and Pacific of Costa Rica. In Wehrtmann, I. S. & Cortés, J. (Eds.), Marine Biodiversity of Costa Rica, Central America. Springer + Business Media B.V., Berlin., pp. 1–45.

    Cutler, E.B. (1994) The Sipuncula.Their Systematics, Biology, and Evolution. Comstock Publishing Association, Ithaca, New York, 453 pp.

    Cutler, E.B. & Cutler, N.J. (1982) A revision of the genus Siphonosoma (Sipuncula). Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, 95(4), 748–762.

    Cutler, E.B. & Cutler, N.J. (1989) A revision of the genus Aspidosiphon (Sipuncula: Aspidosiphonidae). Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, 102(4), 826–865.

    Cutler, E.B., Cutler, N.J. & Vargas, J.A. (1992) Peanut worms (Phylum Sipuncula) from Costa Rica. Revista Biologia Tropical, 40(1), 153–158.

    Dean, H.K. (2001) Marine biodiversity of Costa Rica. The Phyla Sipuncula and Echiura. Revista Biologia Tropical, 49 (Suppl. 2), 85 – 90.

    Dean, H.K. (2009) Records of the polychaetes and echiurans of Central America. In: Wehrtmann, I. S. & Cortes, J. (eds.), Marine Biodiversity of Costa Rica. Springer Science + Business Media B.V., Berlin, pp 181–192.

    Dean, H.K. & Cutler, E.B. (1998) Range extension of Nephasoma pellucidum and new records of Apionsoma (Edmonsius) pectinatum (Sipuncula) and Thalassema steinbecki (Echiura) from the Pacific of Costa Rica. Revista Biologia Tropical, 46 (Suppl. 6), 279–280.

    Fernández, C. (2008) Flora marina del Parque Nacional Isla del Coco, Costa Rica, Pacífico Tropical Oriental. Revista Biologia Tropical, 56 (Suppl. 2), 57–69.

    Fonseca, A.C. & Corts, J. (1998) Coral borers of the eastern Pacific: Aspidosiphon (A.) elegans (Sipuncula: Aspidosiphonidae) and Pomatogebia rugosa (Crustacea: Upogebiidae). Pacific Science 52(2), 170–175.

    Grigg, R.W. & Hey, R. (1992) Paleoceanography of the tropical eastern Pacific Ocean. Science, 255(5041), 172–178.

    Kawauchi, G.Y. (2005) Sipuncula do litoral Sul e Sudeste do Brasil. Instituto de Biociências da Universidade de São Paulo. São Paulo, Brazil. 219 pp.

    Kawauchi, G.Y. & Giribet, G. (2010) Are there true cosmopolitan sipunculan worms? A genetic variation study within Phascolosoma perlucens (Sipuncula, Phascolosomatidae). Marine Biology: in press.

    Kessler, W.S. (2006) The circulation of the eastern tropical Pacific: a review. Progress in Oceanography, 69, 181–217.

    Lizano, O.G. (2008) Dinámica de aguas alrededor de la Isla del Coco, Costa Rica. Revista Biologia Tropical, 56 (Suppl. 2), 31–48.

    Migotto A.E. & Ditadi, A.S.F. (1988) Aspidosiphonidae (Sipuncula) from the northern and northeastern coast of Brazil. Revista Brasileira de Biologia, 48(2), 245–263.

    Pepe, P.J. (1985) Littoral endolithic fauna of the Central American Isthmus. Revista Biologia Tropical, 33, 191–194.

    Scheltema, R.S. & Rice, M.E. (1990) Occurrence of teleplanic pelagosphera larvae of sipunculans in tropical regions of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Bulletin of Marine Science, 47(1), 159–181.

    Vargas–Castillo, R. & Wehrtmann, I.S. (2008) Stomatopods and decapods from Isla del Coco, Pacific Costa Rica. Revista Biologia Tropical, 56 (Suppl. 2), 79–97.

    Vargas, J.A. & Dean, H.K. (2009) Sipunculans. In: Wehrtmann, I. S. & Cortés, J. (Eds.), Marine Biodiversity of Costa Rica, Central America. Springer + Business Media B.V., Berlin. Text: pp. 175–180, Species list: CD, pp. 119–121.