Milteliphaster Alcock 1893

Mah, Christopher L., 2018, New genera, species and occurrence records of Goniasteridae (Asteroidea; Echinodermata) from the Indian Ocean, Zootaxa 4539 (1), pp. 1-116 : 63

Milteliphaster Alcock 1893

(member of Calliaster lineage)

Alcock 1893: 91 (as Milteliphaster )

Comments. Rowe and Gates (1995) briefly outlined several taxonomic changes for Calliaster spinosus and Calliaster regenerator and Milteliphaster ; review of one of the syntypes Milteliphaster woodmason i (MNHN IE- 2014-164) indicates that these changes were unwarranted. Milteliphaster woodmasoni demonstrates elongate, rectangular shaped marginal plates with a pronounced lateral frame, forming a very small proportion of the total “r” distance n the disk as opposed to nearly all of the other Calliaster species, which show a more distinct abactinal facing with a more pronounced “r” distance.

Significant differences between M. woodmasoni and Milteliphaster wanganellensis H.E.S. Clark 1982 , include wide, abactinal facing superomarginals as well as differing spine occurrence patterns and a very different, stout body morphology. The diagnoses for Milteliphaster as outlined by H.E.S. Clark (1982) and Clark and McKnight (2001) appear generalized and show relatively little difference from Calliaster , making them difficult to find useful in differentiating the two genera. The two species placed in Milteliphaster , as outlined by Rowe and Gates (1995), are also not consistent with the characters present in Milteliphaster woodmasoni given the comparison of those species with the type species, M. woodmasoni .