Aquilonastra limboonkengi (Smith, 1927)

O, P. Mark, 2006, A systematic revision of the asterinid genus Aquilonastra O Loughlin, 2004 (Echinodermata: Asteroidea), Memoirs of Museum Victoria 63 (2), pp. 257-287 : 275-277

Aquilonastra limboonkengi (Smith, 1927)

Figures 1, 5l, 6a, 9a

Asterina limboonkengi Smith, 1927b: 273–276 , figs 1–3.— Liao, 1980: 171, figs 3:1, 3:2, 5.—A.M. Clark, 1982: 490–491.—A.M. Clark, 1993: 211.—Liao and A.M. Clark, 1995: 66, 130–131, pl. 18 figs 6–7.

Aquilonastra limboonkengi .—OʼLoughlin and Waters, 2004: 11, 14, 15.

Material examined. Syntypes. China, Amoy, C. Ping, NHM 1926.12.22.35–36 (2, alcohol; very damaged) .

Other material. SE Hong Kong, North Rocks , near Ninepins I., 15 m, NHM 1981.2.6.23–25 (1).

Diagnosis. Non-fissiparous Aquilonastra species; rays 5, long, narrow to broad basally, tapering, rounded distally (rays digitiform on syntypes), up to R> 25 mm (Liao and A.M. Clark, 1995); gonopores abactinal.

At R = 18 mm, r = 7 mm (larger syntype), from 0 to 4 proximal doubly-papulate carinal plates; 0–1 secondary plates per papular space; disc bordered with 5 radial 5 smaller interradial plates; spinelets on proximal abactinal plates in up to 4 groups, up to 10 spinelets per group, up to more than 30 spinelets on proximal abactinal plates; spinelets long, thick, conical to subsacciform, with numerous (5–6) points on distal sides and end of spinelets, not splay-pointed; mid-interradial plates with up to about 20 long, thin, pointed spinelets, sometimes larger group over anterior edge of plate, smaller group distally, groups splayed and overlapping spinelets on adjacent plates; superomarginal plates with up to about 12 thin spinelets per plate, up to about 24 thick spinelets per inferomarginal plate.

Spines per actinal plate up to: oral 7, suboral 6, furrow 7, subambulacral 7, actinal interradial 10 (frequently about 6); interradial spines long, conical.

Colour (live). “Dark brown with irregular red, purple or light brown spots” (Liao and A.M. Clark, 1995).

Distribution. SE coastal China, Guangdong and Fujian Provinces (Liao and A.M. Clark, 1995).

Remarks. Liao (1980) and Liao and A.M. Clark (1995) distinguished Asterina limboonkengi from Asterina burtoni cepheus (= A. cepheus here) by: abactinal spinelets squat, opaque with 5–6 terminal points (not slender, transparent with 1–3 terminal points); actinal spines stout, rugose with many points distally (not slender, smooth with few points distally); thin abactinal plates with large papular spaces with numerous secondary plates in large specimens (not thick with small papular spaces lacking secondary plates). We do not agree with all of these distinctions. We considered the actinal spines on the type specimen of A. cepheus to be short, thick, conical, blunt, and those on the syntypes of A. limboonkengi to be long, conical, finely tapered. We observed secondary plates on the types of both species. We thus have some uncertainty about the status of A. limboonkengi in China waters. OʼLoughlin and Waters (2004) determined material from Oman ( UF 68, UF 246, UF 1645) to be Aquilonstra limboonkengi . This material is referred here to the new species Aquilonastra samyni (below).