Echinoderm Fauna of Kosrae, The Federation States of Micronesia

Micronesia is an island nation located north of Papua New Guinea in the Pacific Ocean. A survey was executed on Kosrae, which is one of the four main islands of Micronesia, during January 23-30, 2011 and January 8-15, 2012. The echinoderms were collected at eight intertidal areas and at 12 SCUBA diving points at depths of 10-50 m in the subtidal zone. They were identified based on morphological characteristics. In total, 50 species from 276 individuals were identified: three crinoids, 11 asteroids, seven ophiuroids, 10 echinoids, and 19 holothuroids. Among them, two crinoids, five asteroids, three ophiuroids, four echinoids and two holothuroids were newly recorded from Kosrae.