About the finding of pelagic larvae of holothurians (Echinodermata: holothuroidea) off the south-western coast of Crimea (Black Sea)
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Abstract
During regular year-round collections of meroplankton in Sevastopol Bay in August 2023, holothurian larvae – auricularia – were found in the surface layer (0–10 m) for the first time in the last 20 years. Water temperature at the time of sampling was 25.3ºС, salinity – 17.7‰. The density of larvae was 2 specimens·m-3. Dimensions of Auricularia: length – 750–800 µm, width – 400–425 µm. It is suggested that auriculariae found in plankton in the Crimean coastal area belong to the species Stereoderma kirchsbergii (Heller, 1868) Panning, 1949. This species is relatively abundant in the benthos of the Black Sea, occurring at depths of 30–125 m. The rarity of Auricularia finds is probably due to the habitat of this species to biotopes with constant low water temperature, and all stages of its development are adapted to living in water layers below the thermocline.