Neoferdina kuhli ( Müller & Troschel 1842 ), Muller & Troschel, 1842

Mah, Christopher L., 2017, Overview of the Ferdina - like Goniasteridae (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) including a new subfamily, three new genera and fourteen new species, Zootaxa 4271 (1), pp. 1-72 : 54

Neoferdina kuhli ( Müller & Troschel 1842)

Müller & Troschel 1842: 36; Jangoux & deRidder (1987) (as Scytaster ) vonMartens 1866: 85 [as Linckia (Scytaster) ]

Sladen 1889: 780; H.L. Clark 1921:61 (as Ferdina )

Livingstone 1931: 307; Clark & Rowe 1971: 64 (in key); Jangoux 1973: 789 (as Neoferdina )

Occurrence. Java.

Taxonomic comments. As discussed by Jangoux (1973), this species is problematic. Müller and Troschel’s (1842) original description is brief and further specimens of this species have never been described. Jangoux and deRidder (1987) verified that the holotype for this species was absent from the Leiden Museum. The holotype’s whereabouts are currently unknown. H.L. Clark (1921) expressed his doubts regarding this species being correctly assigned to Neoferdina , especially based on its R=7.0 cm (and measured “ 5 inches across” or 12.7 cm, which presumably refers to diameter), which seems inconsistent with the upper size limits of other known species, which generally have an R=3.5–5.0 cm. Although the species is considered problematic, Müller and Troschel’s (1842) description does describe this species as having both larger and smaller plates with granular bases possibly discounting species related to N. insolita but perhaps more suggestive of one of the species displaying more heterogeneous abactinal plate morphology, such as N. cumingi or N. offreti .