Iconaster Sladen, 1889

Mah, Christopher, 2005, A phylogeny of Iconaster and Glyphodiscus (Echinodermata, Asteroidea, Valvatida, Goniasteridae) with descriptions of four new species, Zoosystema 27 (1), pp. 137-161 : 150-151

Genus Iconaster Sladen, 1889

Dorigona – Gray 1866: 7 (in part).

Pentagonaster – Perrier 1875: 190, 192 (in part).

Iconaster Sladen, 1889: 261 . — Fisher 1911: 172. — H. L. Clark 1946: 95. — Spencer & Wright 1966: U58. — Aziz 1986: 250.

DIAGNOSIS. — Primary circlet, interradial plates enlarged. Papular plates on radial regions. Abactinal plate corners with enlarged accessories. Glassy tubercles on most but not all species. Superomarginal plates with glassy tubercles on two species. Arms relatively elongate with superomarginals abutted across midpoint.

APOMORPHY LIST. — 5, primary circlet plates enlarged. 6, interradial disk plates enlarged. 7, disk and marginal plate surfaces flush. 15, actinal plates bare. 17, short and squat furrow spines. 18, furrow spines round and polygonal in cross section. 19, furrow spines crowded. 23, subambulacrals round and polygonal in cross section. 24, subambulacral-furrow spine space absent. 31, narrow flaps on ambulacral base.

SYNONYMY OF ICONASTER CORINDONENSIS AZIZ & JANGOUX, 1984

JUVENILE MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Indonesia. Tanimbar Is., KARUBAR, stn CP 78, 9°06’S, 131°24’E, 295- 284 m, 3.XI.1991, 1 dry specimen (MNHN EcAs 11699).

New Caledonia. Halipro, stn CP 867, 21°26’S, 166°18’E, 720-950 m, 22.III.1994, 1 dry specimen ( MNHN EcAs 11700).

Consideration of Iconaster corindonensis and Lithosoma penichra suggests that the former species consists of juveniles of the latter and therefore I. corindonensis is a synonym of L. penichra . Although the holotype was unavailable, MNHN specimens that exactly fit the description of Aziz & Jangoux (1984) were available for comparison. Several characters are shared, or plesiomorphic, between I. corindonensis and L. penichra . These include: glassy tubercles on the abactinal plates present (character 5), superomarginal plates abutted along the arm (character 8), furrow spine length elongate (character 17), furrow spines in cross section thin and flattened (character 18), furrow spine spaced apart (character 19), subambulacrals round in cross section (character 23), enlarged oral spines present (character 25), round- ed interradial curve present (character 26), broad ambulacral head shape present (character 28), fan-like flaps on the ambulacral base present (character 31).