Ecological Significance of the Association betweenStomopneustes variolaris(Echinoidea) andLumbrineris latreilli(Polychaeta) from Visakhapatnam Coast, India

Abstract

The present study reports a new association between the sea urchinStomopneustes variolaris(Lamarck, 1816) and the polychaeteLumbrineris latreilli(Audouin & Milne Edwards, 1834) based on the specimens collected intertidally at Bay of Bengal (Visakhapatnam, east coast of India). Out of 60 sea urchins collected, 10 (16.67%) were associated with the polychaete. The prevalence increased with the increasing sea urchin test diameter. All polychaetes were exclusively found between the spines, in the aboral region of the host. This association protects the polychaete from the predators during displacement from its natural habitat.