Paralophaster Fisher, 1940

Mah, Christopher L. & Fujita, Toshihiko, 2020, New species and occurrence records of Japanese Solasteridae and Ganeriidae including a new species of Paralophaster from the North Pacific with an overview of Hyalinothrix, Zootaxa 4750 (1), pp. 67-100 : 75

Paralophaster Fisher, 1940

Paralophaster Fisher, 1940: 175 ; A. M. Clark 1962: 52; McKnight 2006: 10.

Myoraster Fisher, 1940: 181 .

Comments. Paralophaster as outlined by Fisher (1940) are five-rayed solasterids diagnosed based on superomarginals which are largely identical with other abactinal paxillae and have abactinal paxillae arranged in oblique transverse rows. Lophaster has enlarged and widely separated superomarginal paxillae without paxillae in transverse rows.

Based on Mah and Foltz (2011) Paralophaster was supported as the sister taxon to the clade including Lophast- er as the sister to a branch containing Solaster and Crossaster ( Fig. 1 ), suggesting the multi-armed condition was derived relative to a plesiomorphic five rayed condition.

Paralophaster contains four species, three of which occur primarily in Antarctic settings with one species, Paralophaster hyalinus H. E. S. Clark, 1970 from New Zealand. This species represents the first occurrence of Paralophaster outside of the Southern Hemisphere.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Simplified tree showing relationships between the Solasteridae, Asterinidae and Ganeriidae from Mah & Foltz (2011).