Poraster superbus (Möbius, 1859)

Mah, Christopher L., 2023, A new species of Astrosarkus from Western Australia including new Mesophotic occurrences of Indian Ocean Oreasteridae (Valvatida, Asteroidea), Memoirs of Museum Victoria 82, pp. 143-165 : 157-160

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.24199/j.mmv.2023.82.08

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/D37F87D9-DD27-FFC6-FC86-FAE6E8EDF8D9

treatment provided by

Felipe

scientific name

Poraster superbus (Möbius, 1859)
status

 

Poraster superbus (Möbius, 1859) View in CoL

Oreaster superbus Möbius, 1859: 5 View in CoL ; Bell 1884: 81.

Oreaster productus Bell 1884: 74 View in CoL

Pentaceros superbus Sladen 1889: 345 View in CoL ; Simpson and Brown 1910: 51; Brown 1910: 33.

Pentaceros indicus Koehler 1910: 110 View in CoL .

Poraster productus Döderlein, 1916: 438 View in CoL Poraster superbus Döderlein, 1916: 440 View in CoL ; 1936: 364; Humes and Cressey 1958: 395; Clark and Rowe 1971: 34, 54; Bruce 1974: 485; Jangoux 1984: 280; A.M. Clark 1993: 317 (checklist with synonymies); Kogure and Igei 2013: 33; Marsh and Fromont 2020: 432

Poraster superbus var. bengalensis Döderlein, 1936: 367 View in CoL

Diagnosis. Monotypic, as for genus.

Comments. Occurrences of P. superbus have been observed from Madagascar indirectly, primarily from records of various parasitic and associated crustacean species (e.g. Humes and Cressey, 1958; Bruce, 1974). Uncertainty was reflected by Clark and Rowe (1971), who qualified its occurrence in Madagascar and east Africa with a “?”, as well as by Marsh and Fromont (2020), who listed the species as present on the north-east coast of Africa but not further south. Multiple specimen records as well as imagery from iNaturalist confirm its presence in the Madagascar region.

Most recent accounts of Poraster reflect a single, wideranging species, P. superbus . The synonymy, however, reflects at least four morphotypes throughout its range. Two of those species, P. superbus var. benegalensis Döderlein, 1936 and Poraster productus (Bell, 1884) display small abactinal and carinal tubercles/spination compared to Poraster indicus ( Koehler, 1910) and P. superbus itself. These latter two variants are apparently distinguished by the extent of superomarginal spination. Of the specimens examined, E47401 is more consistent with the indicus variant, whereas E45289 is more consistent with the description by Möbius (1859).

Few data are available on the biology of P. superbu s. This species has been reported feeding on shelly sand with its stomach everted on a sand-encased solitary ascidian, as well as scavenging on moribund echinoids (Marsh and Fromont, 2020). Several parasitic and associated crustacean species have been reported (e.g. Humes and Cressey, 1958, Bruce, 1974). One observation ( Derleisereiter, 2020) shows an individual in a spawning position with arms suspending the disk into the water column above a sandy substrate.

Occurrence. North-east coast of Africa to Zanzibar . Bay of Bengal to New Caledonia , southern China and north to Japan. 20– 55 m. iNaturalist observations also show this species in Sri Lanka (Laccadive Sea) , Singapore and in the Seychelles.

New records. Madagascar, Mozambique Channel , 30 m. Tanzania, Mergui Archipelago, Burma, Andaman Sea to 96 m (new depth record) .

Material examined. USNM E 45289 About USNM Mozambique Channel , Madagascar, Indian Ocean, - 15.87° S, 44.38° E, 30 m. Coll GoogleMaps . R / V Anton Bruun, International Indian Ocean Expedition, 19 Oct 1964. 1 dry spec . R= 16.2 cm, r=4.7.

USNM E 47401 About USNM Lord Loughborough Island , Mergui Archipelago, Andaman Sea, Burma. 10.62° N, 97.57° E, 96 m. Coll GoogleMaps . R / V Anton Bruun , International Indian Ocean Expedition, 24 March 1963. 1 dry spec . R=21.4, r=6.5.

USNM E47402 About USNM East of Phuket Island , Thailand, Andaman Sea, Indian Ocean. 7.92347° N, 98.8363° E, 16– 20 m. Coll GoogleMaps . RV Gallardo , Fifth Thai Danish Expedition, 15 Feb 1966. 2 dry specs . R=20.0 r=5.0; R=22.0 r=4.8.

CASIZ 30883 South Tanzania, Menai Bay, - 6.408° S, 39.4106667° E, 18 m. Coll. Coral Reef Research Foundation, 3 Feb 1996. 1 wet spec GoogleMaps .

MNHN-IE-2007-1000, South of Cape Saint Sebastian , Madagascar, Indian Ocean. - 12.61717° S, 48.505° E, 59–60 m. Coll. Bouchet, Puillandre and Richer, MIRIKY. 29 June 2009. 1 wet spec. R GoogleMaps =14.4, r=5.2.

MNHN-IE-2007-1090, South of Cape Saint Sebastian , Madagascar, Indian Ocean. - 12.62733° S, 48.43317° E, 60–63 m. Coll. Bouchet, Puillandre and Richer, MIRIKY. 29 June 2009. 2 wet specs. R GoogleMaps =4.3, r=1.2; R=1.3, r=0.6.

USNM

Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History

R

Departamento de Geologia, Universidad de Chile

V

Royal British Columbia Museum - Herbarium

RV

Collection of Leptospira Strains

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Echinodermata

Class

Asteroidea

Order

Valvatida

Family

Oreasteridae

Genus

Poraster

Loc

Poraster superbus (Möbius, 1859)

Mah, Christopher L. 2023
2023
Loc

Poraster superbus var. bengalensis Döderlein, 1936: 367

Doderlein, L. 1936: 367
1936
Loc

Poraster productus Döderlein, 1916: 438

Kogure, Y. & Igei, H. 2013: 33
Clark, A. M. 1993: 317
Bruce, A. J. 1974: 485
Clark, A. M. & Rowe, F. W. E. 1971: 34
Humes, A. G. & Cressey, R. F. 1958: 395
Doderlein, L. 1936: 364
Doderlein, L. 1916: 438
Doderlein, L. 1916: 440
1916
Loc

Pentaceros superbus

Brown, R. N. R. 1910: 51
Brown, R. N. R. 1910: 33
1910
Loc

Pentaceros indicus

Koehler, R. 1910: 110
1910
Darwin Core Archive (for parent article) View in SIBiLS Plain XML RDF