Crinoids Research Articles

Early Cretaceous (Valanginian) sea lilies (Echinodermata, Crinoidea) from Poland

Valanginian strata in central epicratonic Poland have recently yielded crinoids, not previously recorded from the area. The fauna comprises isocrinids (Balanocrinus subteres, B. gillieroni, “Isocrinus?” lissajouxi), millericrinids (Apiocrinites sp.) and comatulids (Comatulida indet.). For comparison, a few samples of isocrinids from Valanginian strata of Hungary (Tethyan province) were also analysed. The isocrinids, cyrtocrinids and roveacrinids (sensu Rasmussen 1978 inclusive of Saccocoma sp.) were already known from the Valanginian of the southernmost Tethyan regions of Poland (Pieniny Klippen Belt and Tatra Mountains). The current study demonstrates their occurrence in central epicratonic Poland, and suggests that many Jurassic to Cretaceous stalked crinoid taxa (mainly isocrinids) predominated in the shallow-water settings of this area. Thus, the hypothesis of migration (at least from mid-Cretaceous onwards) to deep-water areas, as a response to an increase of the number of predators during the Mesozoic marine revolution, seems not to be universally applicable.

Crinoid-associated shrimps of the genus Laomenes A.H. Clark, 1919 (Caridea: Palaemonidae: Pontoniinae): new species and probable diversity

Three new species of the genus Laomenes A.H. Clark are described as symbionts of feather stars (Crinoidea: Comatulida) from shallow waters of Nhatrang Bay, Vietnam. Including these new species, the genus comprises 8 species and can be arranged into 3 suggested groups of species. The “L. amboinensis” species group with 4 species, L. amboinensis (De Man, 1888), L. cornutus (Borradaile, 1915), L. clarki sp. nov. and L. pardus sp. nov., characterized by the presence of ventral rostral teeth, distoventral spines on propodus of pereiopod III and a fixed tooth on distolateral margin of uropodal exopod. The “L. jackhintoni” species group includes 2 species, L. jackhintoni (Bruce, 2006) and Laomenes tigris sp. nov., characterized by the absence of ventral rostral teeth, extremely elongated apical papilla on cornea of eyes, the presence of fixed tooth on exopod of uropod, the absence of distoventral spines on propodus and the presence of large accessory tooth on dactylus of pereiopod III. The “L. ceratophthalmus” species group includes 2 species, L. ceratophthalmus (Borradaile, 1915) and L. nudirostris (Bruce, 1968), characterized by the absence of ventral rostral teeth and distoventral spines on propodus of pereiopod III, the presence of small accessory tooth on dactylus of pereiopod III, tiny marginal dorsal spines on telson and the absence of a fixed distolateral tooth on exopod of uropod. Remarks and a key for all species of the genus as well as a discussion of the undescribed diversity of the genus are given.

The discovery of Isocrinus cf. robustus from the Lias Group (Lower Jurassic) near Dunrobin Castle, Sutherland, Scotland

A single stem section (pluricolumnal) belonging to a post-Palaeozoic crinoid (sea lily) is reported from a small outcrop of Lower Jurassic Lias Group strata exposed in low cliff near Dunrobin Castle. This is the first Jurassic crinoid recorded from Eastern Scotland and the small fragment has enough diagnostic characters to be assigned to the species Isocrinus cf. robustus; a crinoid found commonly in the Lower Jurassic of England. The Scottish form collected has unusual morphology that is atypical of the genus.

Ciona intestinalis and Oxycomanthus japonicus, Representatives of Marine Invertebrates

The study of marine invertebrates is useful in various biological research fields. However, genetic analyses of these animals are limited, mainly due to difficulties in culturing them, and the genetic resources of marine invertebrates have not been organized. Recently, advances have been made in the study of two deuterostomes, an ascidian Ciona intestinalis and a feather star Oxycomanthus japonicus. The draft genome sequence of Ciona intestinalis has been determined, and its compact genome, which has less redundancy of genes compared with vertebrates, provides us with a useful experimental system for analyzing the functions of genes during development. The life cycle of Ciona intestinalis is approximately 2-3 months, and the genetic techniques including a perfect inland culture system, germline transformation with a transposon Minos, enhancer detection and insertional mutagenesis, have been established. The feather star Oxycomanthus japonicus conserves the characteristics of the basic echinoderm body plan with a segmented mesoderm, which is a fascinating characteristic for understanding the evolution of echinoderms. Oxycomanthus japonicus shows strong regeneration ability and is a suitable subject for analysis of the mechanisms of regeneration. In consideration of these features, the National BioResource Project (NBRP) has started to support the supply of wild-types, transgenic lines and inbred lines of Ciona intestinalis and Oxycomanthus japonicus.

Notes on morphology and ecological difference between species of pontoniine shrimp genus Crinotonia Marin (Caridea: Palaemonidae) associated with shallow-water feather stars Phanogenia spp. (Crinoidea: Comasteridae)

Notes on morphology and ecological difference between species of pontoniine shrimp genus Crinotonia Marin (Caridea: Palaemonidae) associated with shallow-water feather stars Phanogenia spp. (Crinoidea: Comasteridae)

Development and Growth of the Feather Star Oxycomanthus japonicus to Sexual Maturity

Crinoids, including feather stars, are the most basal group among extant echinoderm classes and share a basic body plan. In spite of their importance for evolutionary developmental study, information on the development of crinoids has been limited, because there are not many species whose spawning season is known, and artificial spawning is impossible. Therefore, it is not easy to obtain fertilized eggs of crinoids. We have observed the spawning and development of the feather star Oxycomanthus japonicus for 7 years. We have established a cultivation system that has enabled us to culture large numbers of O. japonicus from eggs through to sexually mature adults. In the present study, we show that (1) individuals take 2 years to reach sexual maturity; (2) the skeleton of the theca of a stalked juvenile consists of five orals, five basals, five radials, five infrabasals, and an anal plate; and (3) the onset of spawning has shifted by about two weeks since 60 years ago. Our cultivation system can provide enough embryos, larvae, juveniles, and adults for further experiments, extending the possibilities for crinoid research.

ChemInform Abstract: Structure and Biological Activity of Glycosphingolipids from Starfish and Feather Stars

AbstractChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 200 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.

A bioassay for natural insect repellents

A practical bioassay for natural product insect repellents was developed and validated. The Asian tiger mosquito ( Aedes albopictus) was used in this study. Djulis ( Chenopodium spp.), an indigenous plant from Taiwan, provided better insect repellency than neem tree ( Azadirachta indica) oil, a well-known insect repellent. The % repellency of each test material was converted to 50% effective dosage (ED 50) by probit analysis for better comparison between test materials. The ED 50 for insect repellency in descending order was djulis leave extract (0.532%), neem oil (0.579%); djulis seed extract (0.930%) and sea lily ( Crinoid spp.) (1.022%).

Structure and Biological Activity of Glycosphingolipids from Starfish and Feather Stars

Glycosphingolipids (GSLs) are contained in a various cell membranes and have recently been implicated in many physiologic functions. They are classified based on their sugar moieties into ceramides, cerebrosides, sulfatides, ceramide-oligohexosides, globosides, and gangliosides. A number of GSLs have been obtained from marine invertebrates such as echinoderms, poriferans, and mollusks and have unique biological activities. During the course of our search for biologically active GSLs from echinoderms, we conducted the isolation and structural elucidation of GSLs from starfish and feather stars and found numerous GSLs, some of which have unique structures. In particular, gangliosides from feather stars were unique in that the sialic acids bind to inositol-phosphoceramide. We also found that the GSLs from starfish and feather stars possess neuritogenic activity toward the rat pheochromocytoma cell line PC12, antihyperglycemic effects against type 2 diabetic BKS. Cg-m+/+Leprdb/J (db/db) mice, and antiosteoporosis effects toward the osteoporosis model mice (OVX mice). These biological activities are thought to be related to dementia, osteoporosis, and diabetes, which are becoming social problems, and are expected to become the seeds of preventive or therapeutic drugs for these illness.

Notes on morphology and ecological difference between species of pontoniine shrimp genus Crinotonia Marin (Caridea: Palaemonidae) associated with shallow-water feather stars Phanogenia spp. (Crinoidea: Comasteridae)

Freshly collected material of the pontoniine genus Crinotonia Marin, 2006 allows ecological separation of two known species. Crinotonia attenuatus (Bruce, 1971) inhabits the common yellow feather star Phanogenia gracilis (Hartlaub, 1890) (Crinoidea: Comasteridae) whereas С . anastasiae Marin, 2006 is a symbiont of the black-colored Phanogenia sp., probably, Phanogenia multibrachiata (Carpenter, 1888) or an undescribed comasterid species. The species of Crinotonia are also distinguished by coloration, size and depth range with С . anastasiae being smaller and deeper dwelling than C. antenuatus. Remarks on coloration, morphology and ecology of the shrimps and hosts are given.

Urchins in the meadow: paleobiological and evolutionary implications of cidaroid predation on crinoids

Deep-sea submersible observations made in the Bahamas revealed interactions between the stalked crinoidEndoxocrinus parraeand the cidaroid sea urchinCalocidaris micans.The in situ observations include occurrence of cidaroids within “meadows” of sea lilies, close proximity of cidaroids to several upended isocrinids, a cidaroid perched over the distal end of the stalk of an upended isocrinid, and disarticulated crinoid cirri and columnals directly underneath a specimen ofC. micans.Guts of twoC. micanscollected from the crinoid meadow contain up to 70% crinoid material. Two of three large museum specimens of another cidaroid species,Histocidaris nuttingi, contain 14–99% crinoid material.A comparison of cidaroid gut contents with local sediment revealed significant differences: sediment-derived material consists of single crinoid ossicles often abraded and lacking soft tissue, whereas crinoid columnals, cirrals, brachials, and pinnulars found in the cidaroids are often articulated, linked by soft tissue, and unabraded. Furthermore, articulated, multi-element fragments often show a mode of fracture characteristic of fresh crinoid material. Taken together, these data suggest that cidaroids prey on live isocrinids.We argue that isocrinid stalk-shedding, whose purpose has remained a puzzle, and the recently documented rapid crawling of isocrinids are used in escaping benthic predators: isocrinids sacrifice and shed the distal stalk portion when attacked by cidaroids and crawl away, reducing the chance of a subsequent encounter. If such predation occurred throughout the Mesozoic and Cenozoic (possibly since the mid-Paleozoic), several evolutionary trends among crinoids might represent strategies to escape predation by slow-moving benthic predators.

In situ stalk growth rates in tropical western Atlantic sea lilies (Echinodermata: Crinoidea)

Despite their greater familiarity as fossils, stalked crinoids, or sea lilies, remain important components of hard-substrate assemblages at bathyal depths in both tropical western Atlantic and Pacific regions. To determine stalk growth rates, specimens collected along the western margin of Little Bahama Bank using the submersibles Johnson Sea Link I and II were measured, tagged with color-coded cable ties, returned to the sea floor either to the site at which they were collected or to different habitats or depths, and recovered several months to over a year later. This paper examines stalk growth rates in Neocrinus decorus, Cenocrinus asterius, and the subspecies of Endoxocrinus parrae ( E. parrae parrae, E. parrae prionodes and E. parrae carolinae) and their variations relative to depth and current flow. Studies were carried out at three different depth sites: 249 m, 372–435 m and 540–576 m. N. decorus produces substantially more stalk per year than any subspecies of E. parrae or C. asterius (10–17 cm y − 1 versus no more than 3.6 cm y − 1 ) but contributes no more than twice as much skeletal volume to the sediment because of its more slender stalk. To examine environmental control of growth, E. parrae parrae was transplanted beyond its local depth range to the habitat at which deeper-dwelling E. parrae prionodes occurs (572 m). E. parrae parrae grew at 0.6 ± 0.4 cm y − 1 ( n = 6) here, significantly more slowly than in 404 m and more slowly than E. parrae prionodes (2.1 ± 0.6 cm y − 1 ; n = 4), supporting the hypothesis that these two morphs exhibit distinct growth strategies. Growth rates for E. parrae parrae and N. decorus do not differ significantly between adjacent high and lower current–velocity habitats at the same depth, although both exhibit significantly shorter stalk lengths and crown elevations on raised topography apparently subject to stronger flow.

Biologically active gangliosides from echinoderms

This review will summarize the authors’ studies on the structure and the biological activities of the gangliosides from echinoderms. Over 40 gangliosides have been obtained and characterized from 13 kinds of echinoderms, namely, Acanthaster planci, Asterina pectinifera, Asterias amurensis versicolor, Astropecten latespinosus, Luidia maculata, Linckia laevigata (starfish), Cucumaria echinata, Holothuria pervicax, H. leucospilota, Stichopus japonicus, S. chloronotus (sea cucumber), Comanthus japonica (feather star) and Ophiocoma scolopendrina (brittle star). The structural feature of the echinoderms gangliosides was their unique carbohydrate moieties. The biological property of the gangliosides from echinoderms, taking up in this review, was mainly neuritogenic activity.

Constituents of Crinoidea. 5. Isolation and Structure of a New Glycosyl Inositolphosphoceramide-Type Ganglioside from the Feather Star Comanthina schlegeli

A new glycosyl inositolphosphoceramide-type ganglioside, CSP2, was obtained from the polar lipid fraction of the chloroform/methanol extract of the feather star Comanthina schlegeli together with a known same type of ganglioside CJP2. The structure of this ganglioside has been determined on the basis of chemical and spectroscopic evidence to be 9-O-methyl-(N-acetyl-alpha-D-neuraminosyl)-(2-->3)-inositolphosphoceramide, which contains C(16)-sphingosine and C(22:0)-, C(24:0)-fatty acid as major component. This is the first report on the isolation and structural elucidation of a glycosyl inositolphosphoceramide-type ganglioside possessing N-acetyl-neuraminic acid (NeuAc) residue.

Visceral regeneration in the crinoid Antedon mediterranea: basic mechanisms, tissues and cells involved in gut regrowth

Abstract Crinoids are able to regenerate completely many body parts, namely arms, pinnules, cirri, and also viscera, including the whole gut, lost after self-induced or traumatic mutilations. In contrast to the regenerative processes related to external appendages, those related to internal organs have been poorly investigated. In order to provide a comprehensive view of these processes, and of their main events, timing and mechanisms, the present work is exploring visceral regeneration in the feather star Antedon meditteranea. The histological and cellular aspects of visceral regeneration were monitored at predetermined times (from 24 hours to 3 weeks post evisceration) using microscopy and immunocytochemistry. The overall regeneration process can be divided into three main phases, leading in 3 weeks to the reconstruction of a complete functional gut. After a brief wound healing phase, new tissues and organs develop as a result of extensive cell migration and transdifferentiation. The cells involved in these processes are mainly coelothelial cells, which after trans-differentiating into progenitor cells form clusters of enterocytic precursors. The advanced phase is then characterized by the growth and differentiation of the gut rudiment. In general, our results confirm the striking potential for repair (wound healing) and regeneration displayed by crinoids at the organ, tissue and cellular levels.

Expression patterns of Hox genes in larvae of the sea lily Metacrinus rotundus

We cloned eight Hox genes (MrHox1, MrHox2, MrHox4, MrHox5, MrHox7, MrHox8, MrHox9/10, and MrHox11/13c) from the sea lily Metacrinus rotundus, a member of the most basal group of the extant echinoderms. At the auricularia stage, before the formation of the pentaradial rudiment, four MrHox genes were expressed sequentially along the anteroposterior (AP) axis in the straightened mesodermal somatocoels in the order MrHox5, MrHox7, MrHox8, and MrHox9/10. The expression of MrHox7 and MrHox8 was detected as early as the hatching stage in the presumptive somatocoel region of the archenteral sac. MrHox5 was expressed in the anteriormost region of the somatocoels, where a stalk-related structure (the chambered organ) forms later. In addition to the mesodermal somatocoels, MrHox7 was expressed in the oral hood ectoderm, which gives rise to the adhesive pit. The expression of four other MrHox genes (MrHox1, MrHox2, MrHox4, and MrHox11/13c) was not detected in any of the larval stages we examined. In comparison with the mesodermal sea urchin Hox genes, the MrHox genes are expressed more posteriorly along the AP (oral-anal) axis than the sea urchin orthologs, implying that the evolution of the eleutherozoans was accompanied by a posteriorization of the larval body. Our study illuminates the possible body plan and Hox expression patterns of the ancestral echinoderm and sheds light on the larval body plan of the last common ancestor of the echinoderms and chordates.

Über den taxonomischen Status des mitteldevonischen Hexacrinites crispus (Quenstedt, 1861) (Crinoidea, Camerata) aus dem links-rheinischen Schiefergebirge Deutschlands

Über den taxonomischen Status des mitteldevonischen Hexacrinites crispus (Quenstedt, 1861) (Crinoidea, Camerata) aus dem links-rheinischen Schiefergebirge Deutschlands

The complete mitochondrial genomes of the sea lily Gymnocrinus richeri and the feather star Phanogenia gracilis: Signature nucleotide bias and unique nad4L gene rearrangement within crinoids

Complete DNA sequences have been determined for the mitochondrial genomes of the crinoids Phanogenia gracilis (15892 bp) and Gymnocrinus richeri (15966 bp). The mitochondrial genetic map of the stalkless feather star P. gracilis is identical to that of the comatulid feather star Florometra serratissima (Scouras, A., Smith, M.J., 2001. Mol. Biol. Evol. 18, 61–73). The mitochondrial gene order of the stalked crinoid G. richeri differs from that of F. serratissima and P. gracilis by the transposition of the nad4L protein gene. The G. richeri nad4L mitochondrial map position is unique among metazoa and is likely a derived feature in this stalked crinoid. Nucleotide compositional analyses of protein genes encoded on the major sense strand confirm earlier conclusions regarding a crinoid-distinctive T over C bias. All three crinoids exhibit high T levels in third codon positions, whereas other echinoderm classes favor A or C in the third codon position. The nucleotide bias is reflected in the relative synonymous codon usage patterns of crinoids versus other echinoderms. We suggest that the nucleotide bias of crinoids, in comparison to other echinoderms, indicates that a physical inversion of the origin of replication has occurred in the crinoid lineage. Evolutionary rate tests support the use of the cytochrome b ( cob) gene in molecular phylogenetic analyses of echinoderms. A consensus echinoderm tree was generated based on cytochrome b nucleotide alignments that placed the asteroids as a sister group to a clade containing the ophiuroids and the (echinoids + holothuroids) with the crinoids basal to the rest of the echinoderm classes: [Crinoid,(Asteroid,(Ophiuroid,(Echinoid,Holothuroid)))].

Echinodermata from São Sebastião Channel (São Paulo, Brazil).

Faunal inventories are extremely important, especially when focused on neglected groups, such as echinoderms, and concentrated on areas under intense anthropic activity such as the SAo Sebastilo Channel in Brazil (23 degrees 41' - 23 degrees 54' S and 45 degrees 19' - 45 degrees 30' W). Intertidal and upper sublittoral zone collections were performed at five sites of the Channel's continental margin from May to August 2001. The rocky substrate down to 19 m deep was surveyed by snorkeling and SCUBA diving from August 2002 to May 2004, on both margins of the Channel: continental (14 sites) and insular (10 sites). We report a total of 38 species of echinoderms (one Crinoidea, nine Asteroidea, 13 Ophiuroidea, nine Echinoidea and six Holothuroidea). Seven of those species have been recorded here for the first time for the Channel (four Asteroidea, two Ophiuroidea and one Echinoidea).

Echinoderms

Echinoderms