As we searched for the identity of another heart urchin (also recently described as a new species record in Singapore), my colleague Teresa came across photographs of more heart urchins on the Wild Fact Sheets by WildSingapore. Only that these images (Fig. A-F) were mainly of dead heart urchins that were found during intertidal field surveys, and some dating back to 2003!
Fig. A-F. In situ views of the aboral sides of Brissus latecarinatus observed at various locations in Singapore. All photographs taken by Ria Tan.
Lucky for us, we could examine these specimens closely as Ria had taken these photographs really well! Based on a set of photographs taken between 2003 and 2016, they showed clear taxonomic features on aboral and oral sides of the heart urchin test, which allowed us to quickly narrow down the species name. Unlike the other heart urchin tests that we have examined so far, this species appears to remain moderately intact post-death!
This is Brissus latecarinatus, also commonly known as the Keeled heart urchin. This moderately large species is an inshore deposit feeder that lives on the intertidal zone down to depths of ~45 m (Chao 2000). We are likely to find this species in both the northern and southern seashores of Singapore based on previous records, though no living individuals have been observed so far.
This is an excellent example of a citizen science-based research output, where researchers down the road had the data and images from citizen scientists to re-visit the species and biodiversity. Our citizen scientists’ invaluable contributions had allowed my colleague and I to describe a new species record! 😀
References:
- Wild Fact Sheet: Keeled heart urchin (Brissus latecarinatus).
- Chao S-M (2000) The irregular sea urchins (Echinodermata: Echinoidea) from Taiwan, with descriptions of six new records. Zoological Studies 39: 250-265.
- Lane DJW, LM Marsh, D Van den Spiegel & FWE Rowe (2000) Echinoderm fauna of the South China Sea: an inventory and analysis of distribution patterns. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 8: 459–493.
- Mochizuki H, S Mutoh, H Yoshigou, M Iwao & H Tamura (2005) Shallow water Spatangoides (Echinodermata: Echinoidea) from Ryukyu Islands, Japan. Miscellaneous Reports of the Hiwa Museum for Natural History No. 44 (March 2005). 36 pp., 15 pls.
- Tan R, TS Tay & ML Neo (2020) New records of the keeled heart urchin, Brissus latecarinatus, in Singapore. Singapore Biodiversity Records 2020: 26-27.
Mei Lin Neo 