Goniaster tessellatus ( Lamarck, 1816 )

Mah, Christopher L., 2021, The East Pacific / South Pacific Boundary: New taxa and occurrences from Rapa Nui (Easter Island), New Caledonia and adjacent regions, Zootaxa 4980 (3), pp. 401-450 : 412

Goniaster tessellatus ( Lamarck, 1816)

Goniaster tesselatus L. Agassiz 1836a: 143 ; 1836b: 191; Gray 1840: 280; Verrill 1899: 150; Koehler 1909: 87; Fisher 1911: 167; Verrill 1915: 102: Tortonese 1937: 55; Halpern 1970: 256; 1970: 158; Walenkamp 1976: 55, 1979: 30; Clark & Downey 1992: 244.

Phaneraster Perrier 1894: 388 .

Comments. Goniaster tessellatus occurs widely throughout the tropical Atlantic from the Gulf of Mexico and southern coast of North America and eastern coast of South America to the equatorial west coast of Africa. There is a significant degree of morphological variation across the range in this species, especially in South American specimens, which has been documented by Walenkamp (1976, 1979). Goniaster specimens used for comparisons herein were based on the morphotype collected from the Gulf of Mexico and North American coast.

Occurrence. North Carolina , South Carolina , Georgia , Louisiana , Florida , Mexico, Texas , Netherlands Antilles, Caribbean Sea , Gulf of Mexico, Columbia , Northern Brazil, Venezuela, Surinam, Gabon, Ghana, Guiana, Morocco to Gabon, Cape Verde Islands, 22–91 m.

Material examined. USNM E12465. Off of Tampa Bay , Florida, 27˚46′N, 84˚6′W, 56.7 m. Coll. R / V Oregon 4 Dec. 1962. 6 dry specs. R =7.1, r=3.8; R =4.8, r=2.6; R =4.7, r=2.2; R =3.3, r=2.3; R =4.6, r=2.8; R =2.8, r=1.8. USNM E12666. Vend Beach , Florida 27˚55′N, 80˚3.00′W, 54.9 m, Coll. R / V Silver Bay , 15 July 1951, 1 dry spec. R =0.9, r=0.6. USNM E12668. Off of Saint Augustine , Florida. 29˚40′N, 80˚17′W, 73.1 m, R / V Combat 4 Sept. 1956. 1 dry spec. R =1.0, r=0.8. USNM E12669. East of Cocoa Beach , FL, 28˚15′N, 80˚02′W, 73.1 m. Coll. R / V Silver Bay , 1 dry spec. R =1.8, r=1.2. USNM E23162 . East of Jacksonville Beach , Florida, 30˚11′N, 80˚ 17′W, 58.5 m. Coll. R / V Combat , 31 Aug. 1956, 11 dry specs. R =2.3, r=1.1; R =2.5, r=1.7; R =2.2, r=1.5; R =2.2, r=1.2; R =2.0, r=1.1; R =2.1, r=1.4; R =1.9, r=1.1; R =1.8, r=1.1; R =1.8, r=1.1; R =1.3, r=0.8; R =1.1, r=0.6. USNM E40077, NW of Dry Tortugas, Florida Keys , 53.4 m. Coll. Continental Shelf Association for MMS, 20 Nov. 1980, 1 dry spec. R =1.1, r=0.7. USNM E41699, NW of Dry Tortugas, Florida Keys , 24˚47.07′N, 83˚13.5′W, 58.6 m. Coll. Minerals Management Service 24 April 1981, 1 dry spec. R =1.3, r=0.8. USNM E43087 . 23 nautical miles ESE of Cape Canaveral. 20˚20′N 80˚7′W, 45.7 m. Coll. W.G. Lyons et al. on R / V Delaware II, 22 April 1983, 1 dry spec. R =2.3, r=1.3. USNM E12738. Aruba, Netherlands Antilles, 12˚27′N, 69˚51′W. 228.6 m. Coll. R / V Oregon , 2 Oct. 1965, 1 dry spec., R =1.6, r=1.0. USNM E19119 , NW of Tortuga Island, Venezuela, Caribbean Sea , 11˚00′N, 65˚55′W, 112 m. Coll. R / V Pillsbury 22 July 1968, 5 dry specs. R =2.4, r=1.4; R =1.5, r=0.8; R =1.4, r=0.8; R =1.5, r=0.8; R =1.3, r=0.8. USNM E19123 , NW of Cayenne French Guyana. 6˚7′N, 52˚19′W, 84– 91 m. Coll. R / V Pillsbury , 8 July 1968, 1 dry spec. R =2.5, r=1.3.