Phanogenia typica Lovén, 1866

Mohammednowshad, B., Idreesbabu, K. K., Parameswaran, Usha V., Messing, Charles G. & Sureshkumar, S., 2020, The Shallow-water Crinoid Fauna of Lakshadweep Atolls, North-western Indian Ocean, Zootaxa 4789 (1), pp. 247-265 : 254-255

Phanogenia typica Lovén, 1866

Phanogenia typica Lovén, 1866:230 (fig. a–h), 231–233; Carpenter, 1879:20; Messing, 1998b:202–206 (figs. 3, 4); Messing & Tay, 2016:636–638 (fig. 6).

Comaster multifida : (part) A.H. Clark, 1931:412, 413–430, pl. 46 (fig. 140).

Actinometra gracilis Hartlaub, 1890:170 , 187.

Comaster gracilis: A.H. Clark, 1908c: 686 ; 1931:412, 430–435, pl. 47 (figs. 143, 144); A.M. Clark & Rowe, 1971:16; Macurda & Meyer, 1980:63, 67, 69, 70 (fig. 4h), 72, 73 (fig. 6h), 81–82; Zmarzly, 1984:109 et seq.; 1985:342, 246, 348, 349 (fig. 5A, B), 350 (fig. 6A, C); Kogo, 1998:24–25; Messing, 1998a:189.

Comaster multifidus: A.M. Clark & Rowe, 1971:15 (fig. 4a), 16; Macurda & Meyer, 1980:63, 67, 82–83; Zmarzly, 1985:342, 348, 349 (fig. 5C), 350 (fig. 6B); Kogo, 1998:23–24; Messing, 1998a:189.

Phanogenia minima A.H. Clark, 1909g:392 ; 1931:435–436, pl. 52 (figs. 155, 156).

Phanogenia gracilis: Messing, 1998b:206 ; Owen et al., 2009:1517 et seq.

Material examined.— Eastern reef of Kavaratti I., 10°33.832’N, 72°39.067’E, 18 m, 17 Jan 2018, Mohammed Nowshad and Abdul Riyas, colls. (2, MTRLDST E0222, E0223).

Diagnosis.— A species of Phanogenia with centrodorsal small, either stellate or pentagonal; cirri absent or ≤10 rudimentary buds (0–3 per radial area); IBr2 apparently united by close synarthry; IIBr series 2 or 4(3+4); follow- ing brachitaxes chiefly 2(1+2); up to ~150 arms; arms of similar length or anterior arms longer, to 310 mm; arms detach easily; pinnule combs present to P5–P8 and at intervals thereafter; combs often helically coiled; P1 comb with ~10–29 teeth; texture extremely sticky/adhesive due to numerous fine spines on pinnules; color pattern usually including at least a broken dark aboral arm stripe. (modified from Messing, 1998b; Messing & Tay, 2016).

Description of survey specimens ( Figure 2F ).— Both specimens with centrodorsal small, pentagonal, depressed below surface of radials; cirri lacking; narrow subradial clefts present; radials smooth, the five together forming a rounded pentagon; aboral surface of each radial convex from proximal to the distal margin; bases of adjacent rays separated by V-shaped gaps; IIBr series chiefly 4(3+4); IIBr2 on one ray; following brachitaxes chiefly 2(1+2); IIbr1 and IIax2 joined by tight synarthry with a weak mid-aboral dimple; I and IIBr series strongly flattened aborally; adjacent IIBr series separated interiorly by narrow Y-shaped gap; IIBr4(3+4) series with IIbr1 large, united interiorly except distally. MTRLDST E0222: 52 arms, 200 mm long; centrodorsal 2.0 mm across. MTRLDST E0223: ~48 arms, 180 mm long; many arms exhibiting multiple regenerations; centrodorsal 1.9 mm across. Color: bright orange-brown with darker brown, broken, midaboral arm stripe flanked on both sides by paler blotch; pinnules beaded orange-brown and white.

Habitat: The specimens were found in a crevice.

Distribution.— From Lakshadweep in the west to Kwajalein Atoll and Fiji in the east, including Maldive Is., southern India (Tamil Nadu), Andaman Islands, and Palau, and from northern Australia (distribution limits here unclear as records include Australian endemic Comaster multifidus ) north to Okinawa, Japan (A.H. Clark, 1931; A.M. Clark, 1972; Rowe & Gates, 1995; Kogo, 1998; Messing, 2007, Sastry, 2007; Messing & Tay, 2016). Depth range: shoreline to at least 55 m. (In A.H. Clark (1931), the 91 m recorded for Port Walcott, WA, may be Comaster multifidus ; the 216 m recorded for Comaster minima is most likely erroneous.)

Remarks.— This species is recorded for the first time from Lakshadweep waters. It was recorded previously from ANI as Comaster multifidus , and as C. gracilis from ANI and Tamil Nadu ( Sastry, 2007). Phanogenia typica was described from one specimen collected at Singapore and was long treated as a junior synonym of Comaster multifidus ( Müller, 1841) , with which it shares a reduced centrodorsal (e.g., A. H. Clark, 1931; Zmarzly, 1985; Messing, 1998b, 2007; Sastry, 2007). Messing (1998b) resurrected Phanogenia from synonymy, recognized Comaster multifidus as an Australian endemic, and maintained a distinction between P. typica and P. gracilis on the basis of differences in their numbers of pinnule comb teeth: up to 29 on P1 and rarely <10 on other pinnules in the holotype of P. typica , but only up to 16 teeth on P1 (10–12 on specimens similar to the P. typica holotype) and almost always <10 on other pinnules on specimens attributed to P. gracilis from Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia and Micronesia. However, Messing and Tay (2016) found otherwise identical long- and short-combed specimens on the same reefs at Singapore and considered P. gracilis a junior synonym of P. typica , a treatment followed here.

Figures

FIGURE 2. A‒D. Comaster schlegelii. A–B.MTRLDST E0225, aboral view showing centrodorsal, cirri, brachitaxes, and proximal arms (A) and in situ (B). C–D. MTRLDST E0224, aboral view showing centrodorsal lacking cirri, brachitaxes, and proximal arms (C) and in situ (D). E. Himerometra robustipinna, MTRLDST E0227, in situ. F. Phanogenia typica, MTRLDST E0223, aboral view showing centrodorsal, brachitaxes and proximal arms. G. Comanthus wahlbergii, MTRLDST E0231, oblique aboral view showing centrodorsal, cirri, brachitaxes, and proximal arms.