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Issue: Vol. 5750 No. 4: 22 Jan. 2026
Type: Article
Published: 2026-01-22
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5750.4.5
Page range: 547-563
Abstract views: 15
PDF downloaded: 0

Checklist of echinoderms caught as by-catch along the Algerian coast, with newly recorded species

Marine bioresources Laboratory. Department of Marine Science. Faculty of Natural Sciences and Life. Badji Mokhtar University- Annaba; PO Box 12; Sidi Amar 23000; Annaba; Algeria.; Protection; Valorization of Coastal Marine Resources and Molecular Systematics Laboratory. Department of Marine Science and Aquaculture. Faculty of Natural Sciences and Life. Abdelhamid Ibn Badis University —Mostaganem; PO Box 227; Route nationale N° 11; Kharrouba; 27000; Mostaganem; Algeria.
Protection; Valorization of Coastal Marine Resources and Molecular Systematics Laboratory. Department of Marine Science and Aquaculture. Faculty of Natural Sciences and Life. Abdelhamid Ibn Badis University —Mostaganem; PO Box 227; Route nationale N° 11; Kharrouba; 27000; Mostaganem; Algeria.
Echinodermata first records unintentional catches Anseropoda placenta Peltaster placenta Gracilechinus acutus Mediterranean Sea Algerian basin

Abstract

Echinoderms are found across a wide bathymetric range. Generally, the deep-sea environments remain inaccessible for sampling, however, by-catch serves as an opportunistic source for collecting and studying marine invertebrates from different depths. In this study, samples were collected from three sectors of the Algerian coast: East (Annaba), Central (Algiers, Tipasa) and West (Mostaganem) between November 2021 and May 2024, and identified based on morphological criteria. A total of 26 echinoderm species were recorded. Two asteroids belonging to the order Valvatida are reported for the first time on the Algerian coast: Anseropoda placenta (Pennant, 1777) found in the western sector and Peltaster placenta (Müller & Troschel, 1842) in the eastern sector. The echinoid of the order Camarodonta, Gracilechinus acutus (Lamarck, 1816) is also recorded for the first time in the eastern and western sectors. In parallel, a detailed literature review allowed the documentation of all echinoderm species previously reported along the Algerian coast, bringing the total number of known echinoderm species to 72 to date.

 

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How to Cite

Benarous, A. & Mezali, K. (2026) Checklist of echinoderms caught as by-catch along the Algerian coast, with newly recorded species. Zootaxa, 5750 (4), 547–563. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5750.4.5