Combining morphological characteristics and DNA barcoding techniques confirm sea urchins of the genus Echinometra (Echinodermata: Echinoidea) in marine habitat located at extreme regions of the Caribbean Sea

Echinometra spp. are pantropical echinoids found in benthic marine habitat throughout the Caribbean, Atlantic, and Indo-West Pacific oceanic regions. Currently, morphology and molecular data is sparse for echinoids observed along the northeastern coast of Toco, Trinidad where they are relatively common. Additionally, accurate species identity for Echinometra spp. remains dynamic at both northernmost and southernmost parts of the Caribbean Sea. Although distribution of sea urchins in the genus Echinometra have extensively been studied throughout the Atlantic and Indo-West Pacific, information on its range of distribution at the edge of the Caribbean Sea is lacking. In this study, the mitochondrial Cytochrome c Oxidase subunit I (mt COI) gene was amplified using polymerase chain reaction, then sequenced. Based on successfully obtained gene sequences for 581 base pairs, the echinoid species E. lucunter and E. viridis were identified for black and red color morphotypes from Trinidad (n = 23) and Key Largo, Florida (n = 6) respectively. Furthermore, these specimens were genetically identical to species identified in other studies for Puerto Rico, Panamá, Honduras, and Belize. Although morphological variations, such as spine and test color occur throughout Echinometra spp., molecular identification using the barcoding technique confirmed E. lucunter color morphs for the first time in Trinidad. Since the status of E. lucunter populations, specifically at the most northern and southern regions of the Caribbean Sea is dynamic, further studies using gene markers are essential in determining species distribution, in light of current trends in climate change.