{"key":"8cb65787-249e-44f5-9240-bfcdd56130d9","installationKey":"96dec937-f8d1-4d18-a8a1-1e9f4ca1aabd","publishingOrganizationKey":"575c52b0-a742-11db-a6ff-b8a03c50a862","doi":"10.15468/79z2uj","external":false,"numConstituents":0,"type":"OCCURRENCE","subtype":"SPECIMEN","shortName":"rmca_echinodermata","title":"Echinodermata collection of the Royal Museum for Central Africa","description":"\n            The Echinodermata collection of the Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA) is a valuable reference for the study of marine biodiversity in Africa and the western Indian Ocean. It comprises 1,840 records representing 4,434 physical specimens, including 153 type specimens. Although more modest in size than some other RMCA invertebrate collections, it is of high scientific importance due to its taxonomic coverage and wide geographical representation. The collection encompasses the main extant echinoderm groups. Asterozoa (sea stars and brittle stars) are represented by 772 records and 1,620 specimens, Echinozoa (sea urchins and sea cucumbers) by 949 records and 2,487 specimens, and Crinozoa (feather stars and sea lilies) by 18 records and 25 specimens. Geographically, the collection has a strong focus on African and western Indian Ocean regions, with particularly rich material from South Africa (540 records, 824 specimens), the Seychelles (342 records, 862 specimens), Kenya (280 records, 371 specimens), Comoros (172 records, 309 specimens), Angola (117 records, 909 specimens), and Mozambique (105 records, 486 specimens). It also includes material from Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Togo, São Tomé and Príncipe, Cabo Verde, St. Helena, and several other countries, illustrating a broad coverage of coastal and island marine ecosystems.\n        ","language":"eng","homepage":"https://darwinweb.africamuseum.be/","citation":{"text":"Van den Spiegel D, Henrard A, Musschoot T, Theeten F (2026). Echinodermata collection of the Royal Museum for Central Africa. Royal Museum for Central Africa, Belgium. 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