Stomopneustes variolaris (Lamarck 1816)

FIGURE 11

Comments

Stomopneustes variolaris was found in a submarine cave with moderate tidal current at Steep Island in 7 m depth. It was observed feeding on dead fish, suggesting scavenging food habits. This species was observed in the littoral zone, exposed to heavy waves on rocky substrates. The individual in Fig. 11 was observed in an aquarium for observation since the environment in submarine cave was not suitable for photography.

This species is not common in Hong Kong waters. More broadly it is distributed across the tropical and subtropical waters of the Indo-West Pacific, from East Africa to the Samoa Islands, and from Japan in the north to Australia and New Caledonia in the south (Schultz 2015). Although Liao & Clark (1995) reported this species in China, this is the first occurrence from Hong Kong.

Stomopneustes variolaris is heavily studied, especially in the Indian Ocean, on a wide range of topics including reproduction (Drummond 1991), symbioses with other invertebrates (Ayyagari & Kondamudi 2014 a, 2014b), and abundance/distribution (Khaleghi et al. 2012).

Occurrence/Distribution

Hong Kong, 7m.

Outside Hong Kong. Indo-West Pacific, Africa, Samoa islands, China, Taiwan, Japan, Australia, Intertidal to littoral, approximately 0–10 m.