Arctic Echinoderms from Svalbard
Dear Visitors,
A wonderful World of marine life is hidden in cold Svalbard waters. You can
experience it while you are SCUBA diving or digging through a sample dredged from
higher depths on board a research vessel. One of the most impressive creatures are
echinoderms. These large spiny animals has fascinated people since long time. They built
their skeletons of calcium carbonate, are covered by thin epidermis (like skin) and can
occur in a variety of forms and colours. Echinoderms are less diverse than many other
macrobenthic groups, they make ca. 30 species in Svalbard waters and around 100
species in the Arctic. However, due to their common occurrence, high abundance and
biomass they are crucial players in in many aspects of benthic systems functioning.
It is important to know how to name what you have in hands whether you are a
scientist or an amateur diver. We have created this page to help all those who get
interested in these beautiful creatures, whether driven by scientific interest or fun. The
webpage is inspired by similar pages prepared by our departamental colleagues for
polychaetes (link), bryozoans (link), alcyonarians (link), zooplankton (link), ostracods
(link), foraminifers or molluscs (link) from Svalbard waters. Our web page is a next step
to achieve a general goal to provide an updated and illustrated reference to marine
invertebrates occurring in this region, in a way similar to a classical work of Klekowski &
Węsławski (1992, Atlas of Marine fauna of South Spitsbergen)
Here you can find a gallery of key echinoderm species that could be encountered
around Svalbard. Pictures are supported with ecological information and identification
tips. Even if our webpage is still being developed and far from being complete, we hope it
will give you some insight into Arctic echinoderms and will help you to identify your
specimens. We hope this page will also provide a platform for exchanging ideas,
discussions, sharing material and facts.
We hope you will enjoy this page,
Tomek & Marysia
Contact:
Tomasz Borszcz, M. Sc., Ph.D. student; Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of
Sciences, Powstancow Warszawy 55, 81-712 Sopot, Poland;
e-mail: tomekb@iopan.gda.pl
Maria Włodarska-Kowalczuk, Ph. D., Ass. Prof.; Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy
of Sciences, Powstancow Warszawy 55, 81-712 Sopot, Poland;
e-mail: maria@iopan.gda.pl
For collaborators: We will be happy to receive comments and suggestions improving
the content of the webpage. Every correction and taxonomic advice will be helpful. If you
can help us and provide with pictures, additional information that would expanding this
page, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Disclaimer: This page is prepared for you to use it freely, including pictures for
presentations or printing hard copy as field/lab guide. Instead of hosting our pictures on
other pages, what is not allowed, please use links to our photographs or to the whole
pages, what is much welcome. If you wish to publish single pictures, please contact us to
obtain permission and information on picture’s authorship.
Using our webpage for taxonomic identifications for publication purpose please remember
to acknowledge it. It’s the only reward for our time devoted to this page.
How to Cite:
Borszcz T. & Włodarska-Kowalczuk M. 2013. Arctic echinoderms from Svalbard. Institute
of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland. Electronic resource – World Wide
Web publication (adres strony). [Accessed: xx.xx.xxxx; please provide exact date against
‘x’]
Acknowledgements:
…::: We are thankful to Wojciech Moskal for his help during creating this page.
…::: It would be impossible to assemble this page if not the kind help of our colleagues,
namely Piotr Kukliński, Piotr Bałazy, Małgorzata Nowak, Anna Piwoni, Anna Piszewska,
Agnieszka Kostrzyńska, Michał Saniewski, Joanna Przytarska and Krzysztof Koszarowski.
They provided some of the pictures or specimens used here as well as great help and
company during our fieldworks.
…::: The web page was created thanks to the financial suport of the Polish National
Science Center ( grant no. 2011/03/N/ST10/05776).
Relevant Echinoderm web sites , links, publications:
INTERNET
Echinoderm inventories (on-line):
- WoRMS [link] webpage with state of the art opinions on taxonomy including Arctic
echinoderms
- EOL [link] Encyclopedia of Life, including echinoderms from Arctic
- OBIS [link] and IMIS [link] webpages linking taxonomy and biogeography
- The Echinoid Directory [link] excellent web devoted to modern and fossil echinoids
Other relevant webpages:
- Piotr Bałazy’s collection of underwater photos from Svalbard (link)
https://plus.google.com/photos/116898008831666067743/albums?banner=pwa&gpsrc=
pwrd1#photos/116898008831666067743/albums
- webpage with many pictures of Norway’s echinoderms (link)
http://www.seawater.no/fauna/echinodermata/
LITERATURE
Species check lists, including echinoderms from Svalbard:
-Anisimova N.A. & Cochrane S.J. 2003. An annotated checklist of the echinoderms of the
Svalbard and Franz Josef Land archipelagos and adjacent waters. Sarsia, 88 (2):113 135.
- Hansson H.G. 2001. Echinodermata, in: Costello M.J. et al. (Ed.) 2001. European
register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a
bibliography of guides to their identification. Collection Patrimoines Naturels, 50: pp.
336-351.
Taxonomic keys/guides:
- Anisimova N.A., Presler P., Węsławski J.M. 1992. Echinodermata. In: Atlas of the
marine fauna of Southern Spitsbergen. Vol. 2. Invertebrates. Part 2. R.Z. Klekowski &
J.M. Węsławski (eds.), Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute Oceanology, Gdańsk: 153209.
- Hayward P.J. & Ryland J.S. 1995. Handbook of the marine fauna of North-West Europe.
OUP Oxford, 816 pp.
- Marysiu, czy możemy tutaj udostępnić klucz od prof. Pieppenburga lub by Jo-Ann?????
Diversity of echinoderms:
- Stohr S., O’Hara T.D. & Thuy B. 2012. Global diversity of brittle stars (Echinodermata:
Ophiuroidea). PLoS ONE 7(3): e31940. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0031940
- Appeltans W. et al. 2012. The magnitude of global marine species diversity. Current
Biology, 22(23): 2189-2202.
Phylogeny:
- Kroh A. & Smith A. B. 2010. The phylogeny and classification of post-Palaeozoic
echinoids. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 7, 147-212.
- Mah C.L. & Blake D.B. 2012. Global diversity and phylogeny of the Asteroidea
(Echinodermata). PLoS ONE 7(4): e35644. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0035644.
- Biermann C.H., B.D. Kessing & S.R. Palumbi. 2003. Phylogeny and development of
marine model species: strongylocentrotid sea urchins. Evolution & Development, 5: 360371.
Ecology of Svalbard echinoderms (selected examples):
- Bluhm B., Piepenburg D. & von Juterzenka K. 1998. Distribution, standing stock,
growth, mortality and production of Strongylocentrotus pallidus (Echinodermata:
Echinoidea) in the northern Barents Sea. Polar Biology, 20(5):325–334.
- Piepenburg D. & Schmid M.K. 1996. Brittle star fauna (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea) of
the Arctic northwestern Barents Sea: Composition, abundance, biomass and spatial
distribution. Polar Biology, 16(6):383–392.
- Piepenburg D., Voß J. & Gutt J. 1997. Assemblages of sea stars (Echinodermata:
Asteroidea) and brittle stars (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea) in the Weddell Sea
(Antarctica) and off Northeast Greenland (Arctic): A comparison of diversity and
abundance. Polar Biology, 17(4):305–322.
Plan strony:
Lewa kolumna: species list (na głównej stronie i wszystkich podstronach)
Prawa kolumna: news & update (a na stronach poszczególnych gatunków
będą info takso-eko-geograficzne)
Center: powitanie- powyższy tekst (a na poszczególnych podstronach
będą fotki gatunku)
Top-bottom: zdjecie na pierwszej stronie; relevant references na stronach
gatunkow
Top-up: Title i logo IOPAN (a na poszczególnych stronach dodatkowo
nazwy gatunków)
Proszę dodać to co poniżej do prawej kolumny, na samej górze:
NEWS, COMMENTS & UPDATES
…::: 08.03.2013.
The webpage just started!!!
Please browse regularly for updates
Don’t forget to add this page to bookmarks
And don’t hesitate to contact us…
Proszę dodać to co poniżej do lewej kolumny:
SPECIES LIST
Echinoidea [sea urchins]
Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis
Crinoidea [feather stars]
Heliometra glacialis
Asteroidea [starfish]
Stephanasterias albula
Henricia sanguinolenta
Crossaster papposus
Ctenodiscus crispatus
Solaster endeca
Urasterias linckii
Pteraster ?obscurus
Ophiuroidea [brittle stars]
Gorgonocephalus sp.
Ophiocten sericeum
Ophiopholis aculeata
Ophiopleura borealis
Ophiacantha bidentata
Ophiura robusta
Stegophiura nodosa
Ophiura sarsii
Ophioscolex glacialis
Holothurioidea [sea cucumbers]
Cucumaria frondosa
Każda prawa kolumna dla poszczególnych gatunków będzie miała formę
jak poniżej:
Genus and species name:
Higher classification:
How to identify:
Basic ecology:
Geographic distribution:
Bathymetric distribution:
Link to WORMS:
Notes:
Important publications: