Aquilonastra corallicola ( Marsh, 1977 )

O, P. Mark, 2006, A systematic revision of the asterinid genus Aquilonastra O Loughlin, 2004 (Echinodermata: Asteroidea), Memoirs of Museum Victoria 63 (2), pp. 257-287 : 273

publication ID

1447-2554

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/F03E746C-5D7E-FFDA-FF0F-FB38DF50FB7F

treatment provided by

Felipe

scientific name

Aquilonastra corallicola ( Marsh, 1977 )
status

 

Aquilonastra corallicola ( Marsh, 1977) View in CoL

Figures 1, 4b, 5g –h, 8c

Asterina corallicola Marsh, 1977: 271–275 View in CoL , figs 8, 9, tbls 1, 2.— Oguro, 1983: 224–225, figs 7–9, 14.—A.M. Clark, 1993: 208.

Asterina anomala View in CoL .— Fujita et al. 2001: 319, pl. 2G (non Asterina anomala H.L. Clark, 1921 View in CoL ).

Aquilonastra corallicola View in CoL .—OʼLoughlin and Waters, 2004: 11, 13–15.

Material examined. Paratypes. Caroline Is , Palau, 10 m, M. Yamaguchi, 9 Feb 1971, WAM Z1704 About WAM (3) ; AM J10257 (2).

Other material. Caroline Is, Palau, 6 m, 7 Sep 1995, UF 3209 (1) ; 0–4 m, 6 Mar 2003, UF 1715 (1) ; 6 m, 7 Sep 1995, UF 3223 (1) ; 2 m, 6 Jun 1995, UF 324 (1) ; 23 m, 8 Jun 1995, UF 2440 (2) ; Jun 1975, Z6845 (2); Marianas Is, Guam , 2–4 m, 11 Sep 1997, UF 895 (7) ; 2–3 m, 27 Nov 1998, UF 862 (12) ; 10–15 m, 14 Jan 2000, UF 678 (1) ; 18 m, 30 May 1997, UF 1119 (1) ; 1–2 m, 16 Apr 1999, UF 864 (6) ; 2 m, 5 Nov 1998, UF 827 (4) ; 10 m, 20 Jan 2000, UF 675 (1) ; Saipan I., 3–12 m, 18 Aug 2003, UF 3528 (1) ; Singapore, 1–3 m, 3 Nov 2000, UF 2714 (1) ; Indonesia, Sulawesi, 4–32 m, 26 Sep 1999, UF 1827 (1) ; Indian Ocean, Cocos (Keeling) I., under dead coral rubble , 15 m, 8 Dec 1999, UF 745 (7) ; 10–20 m, 6 Dec 1999, UF 750 (3) ; 1–2 m, 8 Dec 1999, UF 768 (2) ; UF 1648 (1) ; NE Australia, Great Barrier Reef , One Tree I., NMV F98746 About NMV (6) ; Fiji, 5–8 m, 11 Oct 2001, UF 1007 (1).

Diagnosis. Fissiparous Aquilonastra species; up to 8 rays, predominantly 6 or 7, rays elongate, wide basally, tapered, narrowly rounded distally; up to R = 16 mm (Sulawesi), 12 mm ( Palau), 13 mm (Cocos); some abactinal pedicellariae, with 2– 3 differentiated thick valves; abactinal gonopores.

At R = 12 mm, r = 5 mm; upper ray plates irregular in arrangement, rarely a few doubly papulate carinal plates proximally; 1–3 papulae per papular space, 3 rare; papulae in 2 longitudinal series along each side of ray; 0–2 secondary plates per papular space proximally; upper ray plates paxilliform with 2 forms of spinelets; 1–3 thick, digitiform, blunt apical spinelets on each plate, up to about 12 thin conical pointed spinelets peripherally on each plate, spinelets not splay-pointed; superomarginal plates each with up to about 6 thin pointed spinelets; inferomarginal plates each with 1–4 thick digitiform apical spinelets, up to about 8 smaller thin conical pointed spinelets.

Spines per actinal plate up to: oral 6, suboral 6, furrow 5, subambulacral 5, actinal interradial 5; interradial spines rugose, some digitiform, most thin conical pointed; actinal spines generally of 2 forms, tall digitiform, short thin.

Live colour. Mottled red and yellow (photos from G. Paulay).

Distribution. W Pacific Ocean, Marianas Is., Caroline Is., Fiji, NE Australia; E Indian Ocean, Cocos (Keeling) I.; Sulawesi; Singapore; 0– 32 m.

Remarks. The distinugishing characters for this large fissiparous species are the long tapering rays, two forms of spinelets on paxilliform upper ray plates, and golden red mottled colour. Three small specimens from Madagascar ( MNHN EcAs11876; R = 4 mm), collected by Cherbonnier on 6 April 1960, are damaged but appear to have the diagnostic characters of A. corallicola . The colour and form of the material from Malaysia referred to Asterina anomala by Fujita et al. (2001) indicate that it is A. corallicola .

WAM

Western Australian Museum

AM

Australian Museum

NMV

Museum Victoria

MNHN

Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Echinodermata

Class

Asteroidea

Order

Valvatida

Family

Asterinidae

Genus

Aquilonastra

Loc

Aquilonastra corallicola ( Marsh, 1977 )

O, P. Mark 2006
2006
Loc

Asterina anomala

Fujita, T. & Zulfigar, B. Y. & Kushairi, M. R. M. & Othman, B. H. R. & Terazaki, Makota 2001: 319
2001
Loc

Asterina corallicola

Clark, A. M. 1993: 208
Oguro, C. 1983: 224
Marsh, L. M. 1977: 275
1977
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