I have put together a gallery of images of the elephant seals as they were photographed by Raisa Mirza in January and February of 2011. Raisa and Ryan Murphy were the Ecoguardians at Race Rocks during that time. They are both former graduates of Lester Pearson College. In 2011 they moved to India to teach at the Mahindra United World College.
Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Echinodermata
Class Asteroidea
Order Forcipulatida
SuborderAsteriadina
Family Asteriidae
Genus Evasterias
Species troschellii
Common Name: Mottled Star)
Recently Russian Scientists researching two other members of the genus, Evasterias , discovered of new steroid compounds.
Steroid compounds from two Pacific starfish of the genus Evasterias
E. V. Levina, A. I. Kalinovsky and P. V. Dmitrenok
.
Jan-Feb 2009;35(1):134-41.
doi: 10.1134/s1068162009010166.
Three new steroid glycosides (evasteriosides C, D, and E), along with six known compounds, were isolated from two Pacific starfish of the genus Evasterias. Evasterioside C from E. retifera collected from the Sea of Japan was identified as (20R,22E)-3-O-(beta-D-xylopyranosyl)-24-nor-5alpha-cholest-22-ene-3beta,6beta,8,15alpha,26-pentaol 26-sulfate sodium salt. The structures of evasterioside D and E from E. echinosoma (collected from the Gulf of Shelichov, the Sea of Okhotsk) were established as (20R,24S)-24-O-(beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-5alpha-cholestane-3beta,6alpha,8,15beta,24-pentaol and (20R,24S)-3,24-di-O-(beta-D-xylopyranosyl)-cholest-4-ene-3beta,6beta,8,15alpha,24-pentaol, respectively. In addition, the known compounds pycnopodiosides A and C, luridoside A, 5alpha-cholestane-3beta,6alpha,8,15beta,16beta,26-hexaol, 5alpha-cholestane-3beta,6alpha,8,15beta,24-pentaol 24-sulfate sodium salt, and marthasterone sulfate sodium salt were identified in E. echinosoma. The structures of the isolated compounds were established on the basis of spectroscopic analyses using 1D and 2D NMR techniques, mass spectrometry, and some chemical transformations.
[Steroid compounds from far Eastern starfishes Henricia aspera and H. tumida].
[Polyhydroxylated steroid compounds from the Far Eastern starfish Distolasterias nipon].
| Other Members of the Phylum Echinodermata at Race Rocks |
 Return to the Race Rocks Taxonomyand Image File |
 The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams. Ryan Murphy, 2011
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