APPELTANS, W

Degraer, Steven

MASSIN, C

Van Hoey, Gert

Vincx, Magda

English

Ghent University Academic Bibliography

Belg. J. Zool., 135 (1) : 83-86 January 2005Leptosynapta minuta (Becher, 1906) (Echinodermata,Holothuroidea), a new record for Belgian marine watersClaude Massin1, Ward Appeltans2, Gert Van Hoey3, Magda Vincx3 and Steven Degraer31 I.R.Sc.N.B., Section Malacologie, Rue Vautier 29, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium2 Flanders Marine Institute, Pakhuizen 45-52, B-8400 Ostend, Belgium3 Ghent University, Marine Biology Section, Campus De Sterre, s8, Krijgslaan 281,  B-9000 Ghent, BelgiumCorresponding author : C. Massin : claude.massin@naturalsciences.beABSTRACT. Leptosynapta minuta Becher, 1906 is describedfor the first time from Belgian marine waters. This brings anew order (Apodida), family (Synaptidae), subfamily (Leptos-ynaptinae) and genus (Leptosynapta) to the Belgian hol-othuroid fauna. A morphological description of the specimens,the habitat characteristics and all literature records with a dis-tribution map of L. minuta is given.KEY WORDS : Apodida, Leptosynapta minuta, new record,Belgium, distribution.INTRODUCTIONUntil now only four holothuroid species were knownfrom Belgian marine waters (MASSIN, 1988; MASSIN &DE RIDDER, 1989), all belonging to the order Dendrochi-rotida. The holothuroid fauna in adjacent countries ismuch richer (VANDEN BERGHE & APPELTANS, 2003),including seven apodid species in France of which at leastfive also occur in the North Sea (MADSEN & HANSEN,1994; HANSSON, 2001), at times very close to the Belgianborder (VAN DAMME & HEIP, 1976). This supposedabsence of apodids from Belgian marine waters is surpris-ing because European apodids are known to live in sandysea beds (KOEHLER, 1924; MORTENSEN, 1927; CHERBON-NIER, 1953; PICTON, 1993), the dominant biotope alongour coast. The present record fills this gap.MATERIAL AND METHODSThe sampling station where Leptosynapta minuta wasfound is situated on the northern side of the Kwintebank(51° 18,65; 2° 40,75 (WGS84)), in the Flemish bank area.This station was investigated during a sampling expedi-tion on 13 February 2003, using the research vessel‘Zeeleeuw’. The sample was taken with a Van Veen grab(sampling surface area : 0.1026 m²) and sieved after fixa-tion (with 8% formaldehyde-seawater solution) through asieve of 1mm mesh. For granulometric analyses the driedsediment was first sieved through a 1 mm mesh-sizesieve. The mass percentage relative to the total sedimentsample was determined for the sediment fractions largerthan 1 mm. The sediment samples smaller than 1 mmwere further analysed using a LS Coulter particle sizeanalyser and sediment fractions were expressed as vol-ume percentage of the 0-1 mm fraction. Median grain-size was determined based on the 0-1 mm fraction.Five pieces of holothuroid origin were found andexamined. These are now held in the collections of theRoyal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences under codeIG 30055.Order Apodida Brandt, 1835Family Synaptidae Burmeister, 1837Subfamily Leptosynaptinae Smirnov, 1989Genus Leptosynapta Verrill, 1867Leptosynapta minuta Becher, 1906Figs 1 A-C; Map 1Fig. 1. – Leptosynapta minuta Becher, 1906. A : anchors frombody wall; B : anchor plates from body wall; C : rods from ten-tacles.Claude Massin, Ward Appeltans, Gert Van Hoey, Magda Vincx and Steven Degraer84Synapta minuta BECHER, 1906 : 507, text-Figs 1-3.Leptosynapta minuta; H.L. CLARK, 1907 : 93;MORTENSEN, 1924 : 251; KOEHLER, 1924 : 272, pl. 15,Fig. 15; MORTENSEN, 1927 : 431, Fig. 262(4);MORTENSEN & LIEBERKIND, 1928 : 32, Fig. 62; HEDING,1928 : 207; CHERBONNIER, 1951 : 13; CHERBONNIER,1953 : 165, pl. 1, Figs A(a-l); CHERBONNIER, 1960 : 122,Figs 2(k-l); FIZE, 1960 : 505; MONNIOT, 1962 : 294, Figs25(a-d); SWEDMARK, 1964 : 33; SWEDMARK, 1965 : 94;TORTONESE, 1965 : 103; CHERBONNIER & GUILLE, 1967 :328; MONCHARMONT, 1968 : 513; SWEDMARK, 1971 : 45;SALVINI-PLAWEN, 1972 : 464, Figs 5 & 7; WILLIAMS,1972 : 636; VAN DAMME & HEIP, 1976 : 44; TORTONESE,1977 : 341; SALVINI-PLAWEN, 1977 : 75; TORTONESE,1980 : 146; O’CONNOR, 1981 : 248; BESTEIRO &URGORRI, 1987 : 94; PÉREZ-RUZAFA et al., 1992 : 176;PICTON, 1993 : 84, textfig. (a); MADSEN & HANSEN,1994 : 108, Figs 69-70, map 29; PANCUCCI, 1994 : 31;PANCUCCI, 1996 : 47, map 21; MCKENZIE, 1997 : 275;HANSSON, 2001 : 350; PICTON & MORROW, 2002 : http ://www.ulstermuseum.org.uk/marinelife/echinode/lep-min.htm.1. MorphologyThe five pieces represent at least three adult specimens(three pieces have a tentacle crown). Specimens are inpoor condition, whitish grey in colour and with adheringsand grains. The largest of the pieces with a tentaclecrown is 2.9 mm long and 0.9 mm across. It has ten digiti-form tentacles without lateral digits. The two other speci-mens with a tentacle crown (6 and 4 visible tentacles) arerespectively 2.4 mm long x 0.6 mm across and 2.2 mmlong x 0.6 mm across. The two remaining pieces are both1.1 mm long x 0.4 mm across. Due to the very small sizeof the specimens no observation of internal anatomy waspossible without destroying them. Hence, the presence orabsence of juveniles in the coelomic cavity could not beascertained.In the body wall there are anchors and anchor plates.Anchors (Fig. 1A) are 69.2 + 3.4 µm x 37.5 + 2.5 µm(n=12). The arms and vertex are smooth and the stock isfinely dentate. The axis presents a small swelling close tothe stock. The anchor plates (Fig. 1B) are oval, 62.3 + 2.9µm x 44.2 + 2.8 µm (n=12), perforated by about 12 holes,and without a posterior bridge. The two central holes aregenerally smooth. The peripheral ones are smooth or ser-rated. If serrated they have between 1 and 5 very largeteeth. There are three posterior holes, the central one veryoften reduced to a slit (Fig. 1B). Within the tentacles aresmall rods (Fig. 1C), 40-60 µm long, straight or slightlycurved with forked extremities. Miliary granules areabsent in body wall and tentacles.2. Habitat characteristicCoarse sandy sediment, with a median grain-size of569 µm, characterise the sampling station. The dominantsand fraction (62.5%) is the coarse fraction (500-850µm), followed by the medium fraction (250-500 µm) with33.4%. The gravel fraction (>2000 µm) takes up 39.91%of the total mass, while the very coarse sand fraction(1000-2000 µm) takes up 31.18%. The sample was takenat a depth of 14 meters.3. Distribution (map 1)Germany (Helgoland : type locality), the Netherlands,Belgium, France (Roscoff, Banyuls, Marseille, Sète), Ire-land (Galway), UK (Menai Bridge), Spain (Galicia), Italy(Leghorn, Napoli), Greece (N Evvoikos),? NorthwestAfrica.This is the first record of Leptosynapta minuta in Bel-gian waters. It brings not only a new species record to theBelgian fauna but also that of the genus Leptosynapta,subfamily Leptosynaptinae, family Synaptidae and thenew order Apodida.DISCUSSIONThe very small size (body length less than 1 cm) of thespecimens, their digitiform tentacles without lateral dig-its, and their small anchors (50-75 µm long) and anchorplates (60-68 µm long), are all characteristic of the spe-cies Leptosynapta minuta Becher, 1906. The shape andsize of the ossicles are similar to that described byMORTENSEN (1927) for specimens from Helgoland, byCHERBONNIER (1953) for specimens from Roscoff, byO’CONNOR (1981) for specimens from Galway, and byCHERBONNIER (1960) for specimens from Banyuls. All theother species belonging to the genus Leptosynapta havelarger ossicles : longer than 120 µm and very often reach-ing 200-250 µm (HEDING, 1928).Leptosynapta minuta is found amongst maerl (marinesediment made of branched calcareous red algae) andcoarse gravel in areas dominated by strong currents (PIC-TON, 1993; PICTON & MORROW, 2002). In addition thespecies is often associated with “Amphioxus sand”, coarsesand present in the Mediterranean (FIZE, 1960; MONNIOT,1962; CHERBONNIER & GUILLE, 1967) as well as along theEuropean Atlantic coast (BESTEIRO & URGORRI, 1987).These habitat characteristics can also be found on thenorthern side of the Kwintebank (BONNE, 2003), the Bel-gian location. The depth at which the present specimensoriginated (14 m) is consistent with most of the dataavailable in the literature : 2-20 m depth (MORTENSEN,1927; FIZE, 1960; CHERBONNIER, 1960; CHERBONNIER &GUILLE, 1967; MONCHARMONT, 1968; SALVINI-PLAWEN,1972, 1977; O’CONNOR, 1981). Only VAN DAMME & HEIP(1976) and PANCUCCI (1994) recorded specimens at agreater depth (35 and 60 m, respectively).Leptosynapta minuta has an extensive distribution pat-tern (see map1) and is often regarded as a locally abun-dant species (CHERBONNIER & GUILLE, 1967; SWEDMARK,1971). The locality “Northwest Africa”, recorded byMADSEN & HANSEN (1994), could not be traced and istherefore dubious. It is surprising that L. minuta, a specieswith a reduced dispersal capacity (no planktonic stagedue to brooding) has such a wide distribution.It is surprising that L. minuta had not previously beenreported from Belgian waters despite the huge samplingefforts over the last 30 years, both by macrobenthic (VanVeen grab) and meiobenthic (Reineck) sampling tech-niques. Probably, the post-sampling treatments used formacro- and meiobenthic samples caused the loss of L.minuta since, during sieving (alive) of macrobenthic sam-ples, the species (width< 1mm) can easily pass throughLeptosynapta minuta in Belgium 85the 1 mm sieve. Perhaps the species can only be found insamples which are fixed before sieving, a procedure notfollowed for samples taken in coarse sandy areas (VANHOEY et al., 2004). Meiobenthic samples, on the otherhand, are treated with Ludox and centrifuged in order toseparate the organisms and the sediment, as described inGIERE (1993). Specimens of L. minuta are probably over-looked with such sampling techniques (except for a singlespecimen in the study of VAN DAMME & HEIP, 1976)because they (1) cling to the sand grains or (2) have a dif-ferent specific gravity compared to other meiobenthictaxa (e.g. Nematoda, Copepoda).DE RYCKE (1982) and DENECKER (1983) did report onthe presence of holothuroid juveniles in Belgian marinewaters but it was not possible to check whether thesejuveniles represented L. minuta as their material is nolonger extant.Data on the behaviour of L. minuta is scarce and some-what contradictory. Everyone agrees that it is a broodingspecies, but opinions are divided regarding its positionwithin the sand. According to CHERBONNIER (1953 : 167)it does not crawl on the trivium as other synaptids but ispositioned vertically in the sediment with the anus up. Onthe contrary, O’CONNOR (1981 : 248) reported “the ani-mal lies on or within the sediment in a horizontal position.The calcareous ring is set in an oblique angle, allowingthe tentacles to move over the substrate”. Similarly, PIC-TON (1993 : 84) mentioned that “the animal moves amongthe coarse particles in which it lives by crawling andwrapping its arms around the pieces of gravel or maerl”.According to SWEDMARK (1964 : 33) the tentacles arestrongly adhesive and help to move in the interstices.These observations were most probably made usingdredged specimens and not in situ. If this is the case it isnot surprising to observe contradictory behaviours, whichcan be attributed to activities of disturbed animals.ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThe authors want to thank I. Moulaert for the analysis of themacrobenthos samples within the framework of the MSc Marineand Lacustrine Sciences thesis “Macrobenthos samplingaccuracy : On board-sample”; the crew of the research vessel‘Zeeleeuw’ for their help during the sampling campaign; D.Schram for the analysis of the sedimentological samples; E.Vanden Berghe from the Flanders Marine Data and InformationCentre for plotting the map; V. Galloway for improving theEnglish and two anonymous reviewers for their constructivecomments.REFERENCES1. BECHER, S. (1906). Eine brutpflegende Synaptide der Nord-see. Zool. Anz., 30 : 505-509, Figs 1-3.2. BESTEIRO, C. & V. URGORRI (1987). Contribucion al cono-cimiento de la fauna mesopsammia de las ‘Arenas de Amphi-oxus’ en Galicia. Thalassas, 5(1) : 91-95.Distribution of Leptosynapta minuta Becher, 1906.Claude Massin, Ward Appeltans, Gert Van Hoey, Magda Vincx and Steven Degraer863. BONNE, W. (2003). 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Leptosynapta minuta (Becher, 1906) (Echinodermata, Holothuroidea), a new record for Belgian marine waters

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Leptosynapta minuta (Becher, 1906) (Echinodermata, Holothuroidea), a new record for Belgian marine waters

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