Francisco Solis-Marin

Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México | UNAM · Institute of Ocean Sciences and Limnology

The starfish Luidia magnifica (Asteroidea: Paxillosida: Luidiidae) is one of the biggest multiradiate starfish in the world that occurs in the Philippines, French Polynesia, and the Hawaiian Islands. Since its description in 1905 by Fisher, very few observations of this species have been documented therefore, limited information is available on thi...

Ophiothrix angulata (Say, 1825) is one of the most common and well-known ophiuroids in the Western Atlantic, with a wide geographic and bathymetric range. The taxonomy of this species has been controversial for a century because of its high morphological variability. Here we integrate information from DNA sequence data, color patterns, and geometri...

Sea cucumbers are harvested and traded in more than 90 countries worldwide. They are exploited in industrial and small-scale fisheries, nearly from pole to pole, especially in the tropics. In some fisheries, more than 20 species are exploited by fishers. Fishers in general know how to distinguish the species they harvest, often identifying them wit...

New specimens of Taeniogyrus japonicus (Marenzeller) were collected from Iwami coast and Sado island of the Sea of Japan. According to detailed observations of external and internal organs, we transferred T. japonicus, T. dendyi (Mortensen), and Scoliorhapis theelii (Heding) to the newly revived genus Scoliodota, with a large retractor organ and ho...

?Abstract Holothuria (Lessonothuria) coronatasp. nov. occurs in depths of 5–10 m off the Mexican Pacific coast at the Revillagigedo Archipelago. It is clearly distinguished from other species of the subgenus by the presence of tables with a circular disc and big peripheral holes, sometimes with a second series of peripheral ones, a disc with a spin...

En este estudio se describe algunos aspectos de la gametog nesis (ovog nesis) del pepino de mar Cucumaria calif rnica Semper 1868, especie com n de las costas del Pac fico mexicano. El presente estudio tiene como finalidad caracterizar algunos aspectos del ciclo gon dico durante la ovog nesis del pepino de mar Cucumaria californica (Semper, 1868),...

Tenochtitlan fue la capital del Imperio mexica, fundada en México en el año de 1325 d. C. sobre un islote de la cuenca de México. Se trataba de una ciudad lacustre de calles rodeadas por agua, donde se levantaban pirámides, templos y barrios alrededor del centro de la ciudad, en el cual estaba el recinto sagrado formado por templos y palacios. Entr...

The Caymanostellidae is a family of rarely encountered wood-dwelling deep-sea sea-stars, with only six species, in two genera, described to date. During the COBERPES 5 expedition on board the RV 'Justo Sierra', off Tabasco, Gulf of Mexico in 2013, 12 specimens were recovered from a single piece of sunken wood. Herein we describe a new genus and spe...

Tropical ophiuroid fauna belonging to the family Ophiolepididae are almost unknown. This study deals with the relative growth and morphometric traits of the ophiuroid Ophiolepis crassa from the Gulf of California, Mexico. Specimens examined in this study came from the Colección Nacional de Equinodermos, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, and...

Blanca Estela Margarita Buitrón Sánchez nació un martes 17 de octubre de 1939 en la ciudad de México, hija de profesores rurales, Blanca es la mayor de seis hermanos. Desde muy pequeña mostró interés por la ciencia, estudió la escuela primaria, secundaria y pre- paratoria en la ciudad de México. A la edad de 23 años comenzó a trabajar para la Unive...

Introducción: La bahía de Chamela está ubicada en la parte central de la costa del estado de Jalisco, México y es un importante área natural protegida. Pese a ello, el estudio de los equinodermos en la zona es incipiente. Objetivo: Proporcionar una lista de verificación actualizada, descripciones de las especies y una clave taxonómica de los ofiur...

Introducción: Los cucumáridos son un grupo cosmopolita de pepinos de mar que habitan en sedimentos rocosos-arenosos, desde la zona intermareal hasta la zona abisal. Objetivo: Presentar nuevos registros para el Pacífico mexicano. Métodos: Se utilizó estereoscopio y microscopía electrónica de barrido para mostrar la morfología externa e interna de...

Tenochtitlan offerings (AD 1325–1521) were buried by the Mexica priests inside religious buildings and under the plaza floors in order to consecrate the enlargements of their temples, to commemorate special festivities, or to appease their gods. Each one of these offerings contained all kinds of gifts, including raw minerals, plants, animals, human...

Introduction: The Panamic Cushion Star Pentaceraster cumingi is widely distributed along the Tropical Eastern Pacific. This species strictly produces only five arms, but sometimes, this number varies or show another kind of abnormality. Objective: We aimed to evaluate the population size structure and abnormalities occurrence in the radial pattern...

Introduction: The genus Leptopentacta has only been previously reported from Florida, Cuba, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Suriname. Objective: To present the first record of the genus for Nicaragua. Methods: The morpho- logical characters of Nicaraguan material at the Smithsonian Institution (USNM 1014529), were corroborated with the original descripti...

Introducción: Clypeaster europacificus es una especie de galleta de mar que se distribuye de 0 a 200 m en el Golfo de California. Objetivo: Describir la morfología y el crecimiento relativo en la testa de C. europacificus. Métodos: Medimos 1 846 especímenes de museo de C. europacificus (N = 1 846) y analizamos el patrón de crecimiento en 32 espec...

Introduction: Eucidaris thouarsii is a cidaroid sea urchin found from the Gulf of California to Ecuador. Its taxonomy is based on general descriptions of test shape, primary and secondary spines, the Aristotle’s lantern, apical system, and peristome. Objective: To redescribe E. thouarsii with detailed descriptions, adding new taxonomic characters....

Introduction: The order Euryalida is represented by fragile ophiuroids with long and slender arms that can be ramified. Species within the family Gorgonocephalidae are characterized by the presence of tiny hooklets on the dorsal aspect of their arms. There are very few published studies referring to species of the family Gorgonocephalidae inhabitin...

Introduction: The genus Massinium includes 11 species, most from the Indo Pacific Ocean, and had not previously being reported from the American continent. Objective: To present the new record of the genus Massinium and describe a new species of this genus. Methods: Material collection was done by SCUBA-diving to depths of a maximum of 9 m. Resu...

Introducción: Ophiocomella alexandri es una especie conspicua del Pacífico Tropical Oriental. La diagnosis esta basada en especimenes adultos y no existen variaciones documentadas. La inclusión de microestructuras internas a las descripciones permitirá hacer comparaciones intraespecíficas e interespecíficas en taxones con problemas taxonómicos. Ob...

Introduction: The sea star odontophore is the structure positioned between the paired oral ossicles, with which they articulate through proximal and distal processes. The internal anatomy structures may be used as taxonomic characters for a precise differentiation between species, so it is necessary to describe the structures variation throughout g...

Introduction: The Ophiuroidea class is the most diverse of the Phylum Echinodermata, with 2 064 described species, which can be found from intertidal zones to abyssal depths, but the fauna of Yucatan peninsula needs more study. Objective: To describe the diversity of ophiuroids in the Yucatan continental slope. Methods: Information was compiled f...

Introduction: The deep-sea asteroid species of Brisingida have a nearly global distribution but have remained poorly understood due to their deep bathymetric distributions and fragile skeletons. Objective: To describe the external and internal morphology of Midgardia xandaros including the skeletal arrangement, through multifocal and SEM technique...

New records of the family Cucumariidae (Holothuroidea: Dendrochirotida) for the Mexican Pacific Introduction: Cucumarids are a cosmopolitan group of sea cucumbers that inhabit rocky-sandy sediments, from the intertidal zone to the hadal zone. Objective: To present new records for the Mexican Pacific. Methods: We applied stereoscope and scanning ele...

Introduction: In Mexico, there are two recorded living species of Cassiduloida: Cassidulus caribaearum and Rhyncholampas pacifica. Most of the taxonomic studies on cassiduloids have used external morphology, pedicellariae and morphometric characters; however, the intraspecific variation of quantitative and qualitative characters has been poorly eva...

Introduction: The family Benthopectinidae is composed of deep-sea sea stars distributed in eight genera and approximately 70 valid species. So far, only five species of this family have been reported for the Mexican waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Objective: To provide an updated local taxonomy of this family. Methods: A total of 566 specimens depo...

Introduction: The echinoderms from the Central Mexican Pacific are of high scientific interest and, prior to this present work, there was a lack of basic information that included incomplete checklists with inconsistencies in systematics and spatial distribution. Objective: To provide a historical review, and an updated checklist with a more compl...

Se encontraron espículas de cinco especies de pepino de mar (Isostichopus fuscus, Neopentamera anexigua, Neothyone gibber, N. gibbosa y Pachythyone lugubris) en la ofrenda 126 dedicada a Tlaltecuhtli del Templo Mayor.

The widespread Ophioderma hendleri sp. nov., from the Eastern Tropical Pacific (Mexico to Colombia) is distinguished from its congeners by having radial shields covered by granules, naked adoral shields, up to 11 arm spines, and by its brown and beige coloration. Ophioderma hendleri sp. nov. belongs to the group of species with naked adoral shields...

Pentamera fonsecae n. sp. is described from seven specimens as a new species of Thyonidae from the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. It is distinguished from its congeners by having tables with ladder-shaped spires in the body wall, and tube feet with curved support tables of variable height and tables as those found in the body wall slightly smaller th...

Due to their peculiar and sometimes bizarre morphology, cave fauna (across invertebrates and vertebrates from both aquatic and terrestrial cave habitats) have fascinated researchers throughout history. Despite their success in colonizing most marine ecosystems, the adaptations of cave brittle stars (Ophiuroidea) to a stygobiotic lifestyle have been...

Se realizó un compendio sobre la biodiversidad de invertebrados marinos del estado de Michoacán, México.

The Caribbean is considered a unique biogeographic region that represents an important hotspot of marine diversity in the Atlantic Ocean. The Caribbean Continental Slope of Central America (CCCA) is a largely unexplored area that exhibits a variety of habitats. Among this unstudied biodiversity, special importance has been given to the benthic comm...

Echinoderms associated with coral communities in the Easter Pacific compose a conspicuous assemblage that alters their ecosystem structure and composition. The environmental conditions in the transitional region of Central Mexican Pacific (CMP) present high variability associated with climatic seasons and El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events....

We present the first records of ophiuroids found in 6 tropical coastal lagoons of the northern Yucatán Peninsula. Specimens were collected from Ría Celestún, Chelem, Dzilam, Ría Lagartos, Yalahau, and Nichupté-Bojórquez lagoons, during May and June 2010. Six species belonging to the families Amphiuridae, Ophionereididae, and Ophiodermatidae were re...

The morphological study of fossil and recent species of the families Echinolampadidae Gray, 1851 and Cassidulidae L. Agassiz and Desor, 1847, from different localities of Mexico was carried out. In the fossil species, Echinolampas aldrichi Twitchell, 1915 in Clark and Twitchell (1915), Echinolampas mexicanus Lambert, 1928 and Echinolampas veracruze...

Two juvenile specimens of a new species of Oreaster were collected at Parque Nacional Arrecife Alacranes and Triángulos Oeste in the southern Gulf of Mexico. DNA of mitochondrial loci identifies them as members of the same clade as cloning larvae of Oreaster found abundantly in waters of the Florida Current-Gulf Stream system, and distinct from Ore...

The geographic distribution of Holothuria (Theelothuria) princeps in Colombian Caribbean is extended inside the Gulf of Morrosquillo, based on 7 individuals collected in Banco de Arena sector, Córdoba. A morphological description of this species record with color figures and scanning electron microscopy images of their ossicles is provided. This fin...

Caves are a useful system for testing evolutionary and biogeographic hypotheses, as they are isolated, and their environmental conditions have resulted in adaptive selection across different taxa. Although in recent years many more cave species have been discovered, cave-dwelling members of the class Ophiuroidea (brittle stars) remain scarce. Out o...

Epitomaptasimentalaesp. n. occurs in depths of 4–10 m off the Mexican Central Pacific coast. It is distinctive in having twelve tentacles, each tentacle with two or three pairs of digits and four to six sensory cups, lacking papillae or oval bumps and in reaching a maximum length of 50 mm in life.

La posición geográfica de México lo hace uno de los países más biodiversos del planeta. El estudio de la diversidad de los equinodermos de México comenzó́ en el siglo XIX. En México se encuentran 818 especies de equinodermos, siendo la clase Ophiuroidea la más rica con 240 especies, Asteroidea contiene 229, Echinoidea 153, Holothuroidea 165 y Crino...

A new species of sea cucumbers of the genus Lissothuria Verrill, 1867 is described. Lissothuria imbricata sp. nov. was found in the central-eastern Pacific Ocean, at 2–16 m depth living on top of rocky reefs, partially covered by algae and organic material. It is distinguished from other species of the genus by having body wall ossicles in form of...

Astropecten cingulatus is a conspicuous species, which displays a large superomarginal plate series on the abactinal surface. Herein we describe a new species from off the Texas coast that shows the superficial appearance of A. cingulatus, including these large superomarginal plates, but with armature differing from that of typological A. cingulatu...

In 1958 Deichmann synonymized Holothuria inornata Semper, 1868 with Holothuria kefersteinii (Selenka, 1867). This nomenclature has been adopted until now. However, some specimens recently collected from the Mexican Pacific matched the original description of H. inornata Semper (1868) whereas others matched the original description by Selenka (1867)...

México alberga una significativa diversidad de equinodermos, a nivel genérico y específico. Su reconocimiento ha sido posible gracias a los estudios taxonómicos e inventarios del grupo realizados en diversos hábitats marinos, los cuales, aunque no están completos, presentan información valiosa sobre su distribución. Hasta el momento se han reconoci...

Irregular echinoids can be found in almost all marine habitats, from the polar to the equatorial regions, and from the intertidal zone to great depths; some species have a cosmopolitan distribution, but most are geographically restricted, and all live in very particular habitats to a greater or lesser degree in Mexico has 153 species distributed wi...

Deep-sea echinoderms (Echinodermata: Echinoidea) from the Mexican Pacific. The coastal strip of the Mexican Pacific and Gulf of California includes 11 states, and considering Isla Guadalupe and the Revillagigedo archipelago, Mexico has 2 364 200 km 2 of marine extension in the Pacific Ocean. Studies of deep benthic macroinvertebrates for this area...

Echinoderms from Nicaragua: new records for the Pacific and South Caribbean. There is little information about the echinoderms of Nicaragua. Here we present a list based on bibliographical revisions and collections of specimens made in the last three years. Samplings were made from June 11 to 16, 2016, in 10 locations (two in the Pacific and eight...

Irregular echinoids (Order Spatangoida) from the Cretaceous of Mexico. Echinoids are a very important part of the Mesozoic and Cenozoic fossil fauna of Mexico. Among them, spatangoids are widely represented in several Cretaceous fossiliferous outcrops, and have stratigraphical and paleoecological value due to their good preservation of the Cretaceo...

Between 1978 and 1982 the ruins of the Templo Mayor of Tenochtitlan were exhumed a few meters northward from the central plaza (Zócalo) of Mexico City. The temple was the center of the Mexica's ritual life and one of the most famous ceremonial buildings of its time (15 th and 16 th centuries). More than 200 offerings have been recovered in the temp...

The starfish Phataria unifascialis is widely distributed in the eastern cost of the Pacific Ocean, found on rocky bottoms, at depths between 0 and 50 m. The original description of P. unifascialis made by Gray in 1840 was brief and inaccurate in some important aspects, such as distribution area, plate arrangement and ambulacral spines. Here, we imp...