Zircons and titanomagnetites of the sea urchin Scaphechinus griseus (Mortensen, 1927) (Echinodermata: Echinoidea: Scutelloida)
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Sea urchins, representatives of the suborder Scutelloida, accumulate in diverticula mineral particles of the sandy substrate. Juveniles of Scaphechinus mirabilis A. Agassiz, 1864 select and accumulate crystals of only very rare minerals: zircon and ilmenite. In this work, minerals in diverticula of the related species, Scaphechinus griseus (Mortensen, 1927), were determined for the first time. This species, the same as S. mirabilis, inhabits sandy substrate off the southern coast of the Russky Island (the Sea of Japan). Their co-existence is determined by the common structure of feeding behavior, which includes feeding on diatoms and, possibly, inorganic compounds. The mineral composition in diverticula was found to be the same for the two species of the genus Scaphechinus A. Agassiz, 1864. Our analysis showed the priority of zircon selection by S. mirabilis compared to S. griseus. The content of mineral oxides in bottom sediments at sampling sites was low. As revealed, the main organic food of the studied sea urchins from the bottom marine substrate is diatoms, represented by 17 species from the classes Coscinodiscophyceae (4 species), Fragilariophyceae (2), and Bacillariophyceae (11). Among them, solitary marine benthic forms, Navicula dumontiae Baardseth et Taasen, 1973 (128·10³ cells·cm−3), prevailed, as well as planktonic forms settling from the pelagic zone, Asterionella formosa Hassall, 1850 (106·10³ cells·cm−3). The high abundance of diatoms (245·10³ cells·cm−3) in coastal bottom sediments in sea urchin habitats may contribute to the successful development of these two endemic species of echinoids in the Sea of Japan. These findings are important for expanding our understanding of the trophic preferences of two related sea urchin species living beneath the surface of the sandy seabed.
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