penicillaris Lamarck, 1816, Asterias

(Fig. 28)

Asterias penicillaris Lamarck, 1816: 555 .

Asterinopsis penicillaris – Clark 1993: 215.

CURRENT STATUS. — Asterinopsis penicillaris (Lamarck, 1816) .

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — MHNH; Lesueur drawings collection; ref. 74007; Baudin expedition; Péron and Lesueur leg .

REMARK

Collected during the Baudin expedition by Péron and Lesueur, Asterias penicillaris cannot consequently come from the Atlantic, as written by Lamarck (1816). The species was discussed by Müller & Troschel (1842, under the name Asteriscus penicillaris) who reported its colouration from Lesueur’s drawings: “oben mit bläulichen Grunde und rothbraunen Stacheln; unten blau [above, bluish background with brownish-red spines; below blue]”. These authors mentioned that the species is in the Berlin Museum and said nothing about its presence in Paris. The absence of individuals in Paris could explain why Perrier (1875) did not comment on the species.

The Péron and Lesueur’s material of the species could not be found in the MNHN.