Between 1930s and 1940s, as a result of the expeditions to the eastern Pacific by
the Allan Hancock Foundation and the New York Zoological Society, there was a
significant increase of research on echinoderms (Ziesenhenne 1937, 1940, 1942,
1955; Clark 1939, 1940, 1948; Deichmann 1938, 1941, 1958). The Velero III from
the Allan Hancock Foundation collected 37 species of echinoderms from the
Pacific of CA (35 species from Costa Rica, one species from Nicaragua and one
species from Guatemala), from eight type of species localities (seven from Costa
Rica and one from Nicaragua). The species described from Costa Rica were the
ophuiroid Ophionereis dictyota, the asteroid Tamaria obstipa, the echinioids
Encope cocosi (endemic to Cocos Island) and the holothurians Labidodemas
americanum, Euthynodium veleronis, Psolus diomedae and Pentamera beebei, and
the irregular echinoid Encope laevis from Corinto Port, Nicaragua.
The Zoological Society of New York expeditions aboard the SY Arcturus and
SY Zaca were led by William Beebe. They reported the presence 58 species of
echinoderms (Fisher 1928; Clark 1940). However, Zaca collected a total of 822
specimens: 73 asteroids, 645 ophiuroids and 104 echinoids. This included 57
species: 13 species of asteroids, 29 species of ophiuroids and 16 species of
echinoids. From that material Clark (1940) described two new species of ophiuroids: Amphiodia vicina from the Gulf of Nicoya, Costa Rica, and Ophiolepis
grisea from the Gulf of Fonseca (Monypenny Point) and the presence of Echinaster (Othilia) aculeata, a species that was thought to be extinct.
Between 1979 and 1981, as part of a study of the megabenthic invertebrates
communities of Gulf of Nicoya on board the R/V Skimmer, nine species of echinoderms were found (two species of asteroids: Luidia tessellata and Astropecten
armatus; five species of ophiuroids: Ophiocoma sp., Ophiothrix sp., Ophiopallus
sp., one species each of Ophiocanthidae, Ophiodermatidae and Ophiuridae; and
two species of echinoids: Astropyga pulvinata and Arbacia incisa). All the echinoderms together accounted for only 0.5 % of the total number of individuals and
only 1.6 % of the total biomass. They were more abundant in the inner parts of the
gulf (Maurer et al. 1984). Between 1980 and 1981, Maurer and Vargas (1983)
continued with the study of the benthic communities, but reported only four species
of ophiuroids (Amphipholis sp., Amphipholis squamata, Ophiactis savignyi and
Ophiothrix spiculata), which accounted for 0.5 % of the biomass.
Later expeditions at the end of the twentieth century and beginning of the twenty
first centuries were carried out on board the RV Urracá from the Smithsonian
Tropical Research Institution in collaboration with authorities in Costa Rica
(University of Costa Rica) (Cortés 2009) and El Salvador (Ministerio de Medio
Ambiente y Recursos Naturales) (Barraza and Hasbún 2005). The El Salvadorian
vessels, the RV Fengur, collected many new records of echinoderms (Barraza
1995), and the RV Miguel Olivier collected new deep-sea asteroids and ophiuroids
at 900 m in December 2009. The Costa Rican expeditions from the Centro de
Investigaciones en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología collected specimens at Cocos
Island at depths between the years 2005 and 2009. Other Pacific expeditions
that visited and collect echinoderms were the RV Boric (1927), RV Stranger
(1939, 1969), and the RV Te Vega (1968), last one from Stanford University
3 Central America Echinoderms: Diversity, Ecology and Future Perspectives
71
the Allan Hancock Foundation and the New York Zoological Society, there was a
significant increase of research on echinoderms (Ziesenhenne 1937, 1940, 1942,
1955; Clark 1939, 1940, 1948; Deichmann 1938, 1941, 1958). The Velero III from
the Allan Hancock Foundation collected 37 species of echinoderms from the
Pacific of CA (35 species from Costa Rica, one species from Nicaragua and one
species from Guatemala), from eight type of species localities (seven from Costa
Rica and one from Nicaragua). The species described from Costa Rica were the
ophuiroid Ophionereis dictyota, the asteroid Tamaria obstipa, the echinioids
Encope cocosi (endemic to Cocos Island) and the holothurians Labidodemas
americanum, Euthynodium veleronis, Psolus diomedae and Pentamera beebei, and
the irregular echinoid Encope laevis from Corinto Port, Nicaragua.
The Zoological Society of New York expeditions aboard the SY Arcturus and
SY Zaca were led by William Beebe. They reported the presence 58 species of
echinoderms (Fisher 1928; Clark 1940). However, Zaca collected a total of 822
specimens: 73 asteroids, 645 ophiuroids and 104 echinoids. This included 57
species: 13 species of asteroids, 29 species of ophiuroids and 16 species of
echinoids. From that material Clark (1940) described two new species of ophiuroids: Amphiodia vicina from the Gulf of Nicoya, Costa Rica, and Ophiolepis
grisea from the Gulf of Fonseca (Monypenny Point) and the presence of Echinaster (Othilia) aculeata, a species that was thought to be extinct.
Between 1979 and 1981, as part of a study of the megabenthic invertebrates
communities of Gulf of Nicoya on board the R/V Skimmer, nine species of echinoderms were found (two species of asteroids: Luidia tessellata and Astropecten
armatus; five species of ophiuroids: Ophiocoma sp., Ophiothrix sp., Ophiopallus
sp., one species each of Ophiocanthidae, Ophiodermatidae and Ophiuridae; and
two species of echinoids: Astropyga pulvinata and Arbacia incisa). All the echinoderms together accounted for only 0.5 % of the total number of individuals and
only 1.6 % of the total biomass. They were more abundant in the inner parts of the
gulf (Maurer et al. 1984). Between 1980 and 1981, Maurer and Vargas (1983)
continued with the study of the benthic communities, but reported only four species
of ophiuroids (Amphipholis sp., Amphipholis squamata, Ophiactis savignyi and
Ophiothrix spiculata), which accounted for 0.5 % of the biomass.
Later expeditions at the end of the twentieth century and beginning of the twenty
first centuries were carried out on board the RV Urracá from the Smithsonian
Tropical Research Institution in collaboration with authorities in Costa Rica
(University of Costa Rica) (Cortés 2009) and El Salvador (Ministerio de Medio
Ambiente y Recursos Naturales) (Barraza and Hasbún 2005). The El Salvadorian
vessels, the RV Fengur, collected many new records of echinoderms (Barraza
1995), and the RV Miguel Olivier collected new deep-sea asteroids and ophiuroids
at 900 m in December 2009. The Costa Rican expeditions from the Centro de
Investigaciones en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología collected specimens at Cocos
Island at depths between the years 2005 and 2009. Other Pacific expeditions
that visited and collect echinoderms were the RV Boric (1927), RV Stranger
(1939, 1969), and the RV Te Vega (1968), last one from Stanford University
3 Central America Echinoderms: Diversity, Ecology and Future Perspectives
71