Author(s)

Ahmed M. Hellal

Marine Biology and Fish Science Section, Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.

A taxonomic study on the crinoids (feather stars) collected from 34 sites from the Red Sea coasts and islands as well as the Suez Canal was done during the period from 1992 to 2003. A total of 15 species are now known from the Red Sea belonging to eleven genera under six families. Among them four species are endemic to the Red Sea and the two spe- cies, Decametra chadwicki and Lamprometra klunzingeri, are recorded from the Suez Canal for the first time. Also, the two species, Oligometra serripinna and Dorometra aegyptica, are new record from Gulf of Suez, and Decametra mollis from Gulf of Aqaba and Northern Red Sea. This study represents the first proper documentation of crinoid species in the study area. Summaries are provided of the specific habitats and geographical distribution.

Crinoidea; Red Sea; Suez Canal; Taxonomy; Habitats; Geographical Distribution

Hellal, A. (2012) Taxonomic Study on the Feather Stars (Crinoidea: Echinodermata) from Egyptian Red Sea Coasts and Suez Canal, Egypt. Open Journal of Marine Science, 2, 51-57. doi: 10.4236/ojms.2012.22007.