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Yaser Fatemi

  • Biodiversity Journal, 9 (2): 143-148

    Yaser Fatemi & Ruhallah Fatemi
    New data on the genus Luidia Forbes, 1839 (Asteroidea Luidiidae) from the gulf of Oman and first record of Luidia maculata Müller et Troschel, 1842 in this region
    https://doi.org/10.31396/Biodiv.Jour.2018.9.2.143.148

    ABSTRACT
    As a part of the research program about echinoderms of the Gulf of Oman, Luidia maculata Müller et Troschel, 1842, and L. hardwicki Gray, 1840 (Asteroidea Luidiidae) were collected from the sandy shores of Chabahar Bay along the north part of the gulf during the period from 2015 to 2016. Here, L. maculata is recorded for the first time from the Gulf of Oman and Iranian waters. Luidia hardwicki has been previously reported from this area. Details concerning the identification and distribution range of these species are provided.

  • Biodiversity Journal, 7 (4): 935-944 - MONOGRAPH

    Yaser Fatemi, Gilan Attaran-Fariman & Paolo Stara
    Sculpsitechinus iraniensis n. sp. (Clypeasteroida Astriclypeidae), from Chabahar Bay, southeast coast of Iran

    ABSTRACT
    In the past, the practice of giving more weight to the outer shape of echinoderms than the structural characters, has led to misinterpretations in the systematics within the family Astriclypeidae Stefanini, 1912 (Clypeasteroida). We do not know, often, what the previous researchers were referring to when they refer to Echinodiscus, since many of these, in fact, belong to the genus Sculpsitechinus (at present including two species: S. auritus and S. tenuissimus). Every sand dollar that had two posterior ambulacral slots opens on the rear edge, was always classified as “E. auritus” now accepted as S. auritus. In fact, this general form, common across the Indian Ocean and spread to Indonesian Archipelago, until the Western Pacific, shows, locally, strong differences that justify a change in the specific allocation. A new form of living Sculpsitechinus was found from the sediments at low tide of Chabahar Bay, located along the Iranian coast of the Gulf of Oman. The analysis of morphometric and structural data, allowed us to establish this form as a new species: S. iraniensis n. sp. This new species differs from the type species of S. auritus mainly by the considerable size of the petalodium, that reaches the mean of 55% of test length, in comparison to the mean of 40% of the type test length. Moreover, the studied population shows considerable variability in the plating scheme of the adoral face, which will give rise to future insights.