Aquilonastra corallicola ( Marsh, 1977 )

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 : 273

Aquilonastra corallicola ( Marsh, 1977)

Figures 1, 4b, 5g –h, 8c

Asterina corallicola Marsh, 1977: 271–275 , figs 8, 9, tbls 1, 2.— Oguro, 1983: 224–225, figs 7–9, 14.—A.M. Clark, 1993: 208.

Asterina anomala .— Fujita et al. 2001: 319, pl. 2G (non Asterina anomala H.L. Clark, 1921 ).

Aquilonastra corallicola .—OʼLoughlin and Waters, 2004: 11, 13–15.

Material examined. Paratypes. Caroline Is , Palau, 10 m, M. Yamaguchi, 9 Feb 1971, WAM Z1704 (3) ; AM J10257 (2).

Other material. Caroline Is, Palau, 6 m, 7 Sep 1995, UF 3209 (1) ; 0–4 m, 6 Mar 2003, UF 1715 (1) ; 6 m, 7 Sep 1995, UF 3223 (1) ; 2 m, 6 Jun 1995, UF 324 (1) ; 23 m, 8 Jun 1995, UF 2440 (2) ; Jun 1975, Z6845 (2); Marianas Is, Guam , 2–4 m, 11 Sep 1997, UF 895 (7) ; 2–3 m, 27 Nov 1998, UF 862 (12) ; 10–15 m, 14 Jan 2000, UF 678 (1) ; 18 m, 30 May 1997, UF 1119 (1) ; 1–2 m, 16 Apr 1999, UF 864 (6) ; 2 m, 5 Nov 1998, UF 827 (4) ; 10 m, 20 Jan 2000, UF 675 (1) ; Saipan I., 3–12 m, 18 Aug 2003, UF 3528 (1) ; Singapore, 1–3 m, 3 Nov 2000, UF 2714 (1) ; Indonesia, Sulawesi, 4–32 m, 26 Sep 1999, UF 1827 (1) ; Indian Ocean, Cocos (Keeling) I., under dead coral rubble , 15 m, 8 Dec 1999, UF 745 (7) ; 10–20 m, 6 Dec 1999, UF 750 (3) ; 1–2 m, 8 Dec 1999, UF 768 (2) ; UF 1648 (1) ; NE Australia, Great Barrier Reef , One Tree I., NMV F98746 (6) ; Fiji, 5–8 m, 11 Oct 2001, UF 1007 (1).

Diagnosis. Fissiparous Aquilonastra species; up to 8 rays, predominantly 6 or 7, rays elongate, wide basally, tapered, narrowly rounded distally; up to R = 16 mm (Sulawesi), 12 mm ( Palau), 13 mm (Cocos); some abactinal pedicellariae, with 2– 3 differentiated thick valves; abactinal gonopores.

At R = 12 mm, r = 5 mm; upper ray plates irregular in arrangement, rarely a few doubly papulate carinal plates proximally; 1–3 papulae per papular space, 3 rare; papulae in 2 longitudinal series along each side of ray; 0–2 secondary plates per papular space proximally; upper ray plates paxilliform with 2 forms of spinelets; 1–3 thick, digitiform, blunt apical spinelets on each plate, up to about 12 thin conical pointed spinelets peripherally on each plate, spinelets not splay-pointed; superomarginal plates each with up to about 6 thin pointed spinelets; inferomarginal plates each with 1–4 thick digitiform apical spinelets, up to about 8 smaller thin conical pointed spinelets.

Spines per actinal plate up to: oral 6, suboral 6, furrow 5, subambulacral 5, actinal interradial 5; interradial spines rugose, some digitiform, most thin conical pointed; actinal spines generally of 2 forms, tall digitiform, short thin.

Live colour. Mottled red and yellow (photos from G. Paulay).

Distribution. W Pacific Ocean, Marianas Is., Caroline Is., Fiji, NE Australia; E Indian Ocean, Cocos (Keeling) I.; Sulawesi; Singapore; 0– 32 m.

Remarks. The distinugishing characters for this large fissiparous species are the long tapering rays, two forms of spinelets on paxilliform upper ray plates, and golden red mottled colour. Three small specimens from Madagascar ( MNHN EcAs11876; R = 4 mm), collected by Cherbonnier on 6 April 1960, are damaged but appear to have the diagnostic characters of A. corallicola . The colour and form of the material from Malaysia referred to Asterina anomala by Fujita et al. (2001) indicate that it is A. corallicola .