tessellata var. C and D Lamarck, 1816, Asterias

(Fig. 41)

Asterias tessellata var. C and D Lamarck, 1816: 552.

Astrogonium lamarckii Müller & Troschel, 1842: 56, n. syn.

Goniaster tessellatus – Clark & Downey 1992: 245.

CURRENT STATUS. — Goniaster tessellatus (Lamarck, 1816) .

DISTRIBUTION. — North Carolina to northern Brazil and Morocco to Gabon. Contrarily to what is sometimes reported, Goniaster tessellatus does not occur in the Indo-Pacific ocean.

REMARK

Lamarck’s type material could not be found in the MNHN. Yet, Müller & Troschel (1842), while giving no information on Lamarck’s Asterias tessellata, described a new species ( Astrogonium lamarckii) that they found in the Paris collection. Undoubtedly, Astrogonium lamarckii is the first junior synonym of Lamarck’s Asterias tessellata . The holotype of the former is still kept in the MNHN (Fig. 41). It is to be assumed that the type specimen of Astrogonium lamarckii of Müller & Troschel’s would also be that of Lamarck’s Asterias tessellata .