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Euryale aspera Lamarck, 1816
| Family Name: | Euryalidae |
| Taxonomic Group: | Invertebrates (Echinoderm) |
| Common Name: | Basket Star |
Name
Ecology, Habitat & Location
| Ecological Notes | During the day this species stays hidden within crevices on the reef. It comes out at night and extends its arms in a basket-like posture to trap plankton food particles. |
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| Habitats | Coral Reef, Marine |
| Distribution | Indo-west Pacific from 2 to 60m deep. Its presence in Singapore is based on a single record in the 19th century where it was collected from 40m deep off St. John’s Island in the Southern Islands. It has not been seen since but is likely to be present in deeper water. |
Conservation
| Trends & Threats | Past dumping of dredge spoils in the Singapore Deeps off St. Johns Island may have impacted this species. However the true status of this nocturnal basket star remains unknown since night dives have rarely been carried out on Singapore reefs. |
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| Scientific Interest & Potential Value | Confirmation that this species is not locally extinct is needed. If it is indeed still present then this would enhance the biodiversity profile of Southern Island reefs. |
| Conservation Notes | Night dives on the more distant Southern Island Reefs are needed to establish the status/distribution of this species. Areas that harbor basket stars should be considered as candidates for MPA designation. |
| Notes | Data Deficient, possibly Endangered. |
Status
| Singapore Red Data Book Status | Data Deficient (DD) [2008] |
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Photos
References
| References | Davison, G.W.H., Ng, P.K.L. & Ho, H.C (Eds.). 2008. The Singapore Red Data Book (2nd Edition). Singapore: Nature Society (Singapore). 285pp |
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