Asthenactis, Fisher, 1906

Mah, Christopher L., 2023, New Goniasteridae and in situ observations significant to deep-sea coral predation, Memoirs of Museum Victoria 83, pp. 1-35 : 30-32

cf. Asthenactis

Figure 16

Comments. Only one other observation of asteroid-octocoral predation could be located in the R/V Falkor video. During Sebastian Dive 324, Feb 15, 2020, in Leeuwin Canyon, at 768 m, an 11-armed asteroid in the Myxasteridae , similar to Asthenactis , was observed. The individual showed what might have been actinolateral fringes, but could not be determined definitively due to the angle of the imagery, and as such, the identification is tentative. cf. Asthenactis was observed with its arms wrapped around what appears to be an octocoral in the Chrysogorgiidae , possibly Chrysogorgia . The oral surface and cardiac stomach were appressed against the prey item with tube feet extended over the surface and tissues.

This is the first record of a member of the Myxasteridae in Australian waters and the first published record of a myxasterid feeding on a deep-sea octocoral. An account of the Atlantic myxasterid Pythonaster atlantidis A.H. Clark, 1948 records that species feeding on a hexactinellid sponge ( Mah, 2020).

Video Source: https://www.youtube.com/live/HexuAFr7yY8?si= 5bQ8VzjXIVHhw2zf