Kampylaster Koehler, 1920

Mah, Christopher L., 2023, New Genera, Species, and observations on the biology of Antarctic Valvatida (Asteroidea), Zootaxa 5310 (1), pp. 1-88 : 22

Kampylaster Koehler, 1920

Koehler, 1920: 136, Fisher 1940: 250; Bernasconi 1973a: 344; A.M. Clark 1993: 220; O’Loughlin & Waters 2004: 22.

Diagnosis

Arms five. Body thick, pentagonal to weakly stellate (R/r=1.0–2.2), strongly arched (dome-shaped). Abactinal surface composed of imbricate flattened to weakly convex plates, larger plates proximally becoming smaller distally. Abactinal and marginal plates covered by round to cylindrical/bullet-shaped granules, evenly distributed over abactinal and lateral surface covering boundaries between plates. Marginal plates forming crenulate margin. Actinal surface with one to three short, blunt spinelets. Furrow spines, 2 to 5 in transverse series. Superambulacrals and superactinal plates absent.

Comments

Kampylaster has received little discussion since its description ( Koehler 1920), which seems largely due to its lack of shared characters with other members of the Asterinidae , including internal skeletal ossicles such as the superambulacrals and superactinals ( O’Loughlin & Waters 2004). Koehler (1920) made early comparisons between Kampylaster and Tremaster which have not found support ( O’Loughlin & Waters 2004; Mah & Foltz 2011b). Molecular phylogenetic work ( Mah & Foltz 2011b) supported Kampylaster with the other Antarctic asterinid, Astrotholus antarcticus as members of a monophyletic clade, described herein.

Key to Kampylaster spp.

(0) Marginal plates and lateral edge with round to cylindrical granules in irregular clusters, inferomarginal plates with rounded, actinolateral edge with round, close-set granules extending onto the distal actinal intermediate areas adjacent to the inferomarginals. Granules round, homogeneous in size and shape, close set. Body weakly stellate (R/r=1.0 at R=1.1.7)). Present at depths 6–935 m ....................................................... Kampylaster incurvatus Koehler 1920

(0’) Inferomarginal plates with distinct spine series, cylindrical or bullet-shaped, 2–3× the length of those on abactinal granules in K. tumulus , along actinolateral edge. Inferomarginals with a more angular lateral edge present. Granules more cylindrical, not spherical, more widely spaced, heterogeneous or homogeneous in size. Present at depths 1000–3020 m ................ (1)

(1) Inferomarginal with three bullet-shaped granules (2 in smaller individuals), approximately twice the length of abactinal granules. Body strongly stellate (R/r=~2.0–2.5), with arching disk narrowing on arms. At R=1.3, granules relatively fine, 5–6 granules along a 1.0 mm line, heterogeneous in size, some twice as large as others, widely spaced, throughout, especially on disk edge and distal actinal intermediate areas adjacent to the inferomarginals. Arm tips pointed...................................................................................................... Kampylaster claireae n. sp.

(1’) Inferomarginal with four to seven quadrate shaped granules at R=~ 1.5 in distinct series, 2–3 times the length of those on abactinal granules. Body thick, weakly stellate (R/r=~1.6). Granules coarse, approximately 3 along a 1.0 mm line (R=1.5), homogeneous in size, all relatively identical in size, shape. Arm tips rounded................ Kampylaster tumulus n. sp.