Neoferdina Livingstone 1931

Mah, Christopher L., Kogure, Yoichi, Fujita, Toshihiko & Higashiji, Takuo, 2024, New Taxa and Occurrences of Mesophotic and Deep-sea Goniasteridae (Valvatida, Asteroidea) from Okinawa and adjacent regions, Zootaxa 5403 (1), pp. 1-41 : 28

Neoferdina Livingstone 1931

Ferdina (part) Gray 1840: 282; 1866: 12; Perrier 1875: 447; Sladen 1889: 397; Fisher 1911: 241; H.L. Clark 1921: 37

Scytaster Müller & Troschel 1842: 34 ; Grube 1860: 9; Dujardin et Hupé 1862: 365; Lütken 1865: 163

Neoferdina Livingstone 1931: 307 ; H.L. Clark 1946: 112; Clark & Rowe 1971: 64 (in key); Jangoux 1973: 776; Clark 1993: 344 (checklist); Rowe & Gates 1995: 89; Liao & Clark 1995: 119; H.E.S. Clark & McKnight 2001: 175; Mah 2017: 39; Marsh & Fromont 2020: 257.

Type Species

Ferdina cumingi Gray 1840

Diagnosis

Body strongly stellate (R/r=~2.0–5.7, mostly between 3.0–4.0 cm), body flattened [i.e. quadrate in cross–section] in most species but variably pentagonal in larger individuals); body surface almost completely covered by granular tegument, bald patches or spots on abactinal and marginal plates. Crystalline nodules absent from abactinal, marginal plates. Abactinal plates variably flat to strongly convex, forming distinctive bumpy surfaces in many species. Plates present in transverse series across the arm in several but not all species. Marginal plates variably of equal dimensions to elongate to elliptical. Most superomarginals convex, variably weak to strong but all with distinct bald region. N. annae n. sp. with bare regions on penultimate superomarginals, but otherwise covered by granular tegument. Inferomarginals variably granule–covered or with bald patch present. Actinal intermediate regions small (with fewer than four full actinal series) furrow spines single, subambulacral accessories absent. Most species display a bright to striking color pattern with a wide range, generally with dark colored superomarginal plates and lighter colored disk plates.

Comments

Neoferdina was reviewed by Mah (2017). All species of Neoferdina display some mesophotic occurrence with some species occurring across a wide range, from shallow to deeper settings (e.g. Neoferdina insolita , Neoferdina offreti ) whereas other species, such as Neoferdina anitgorum Mah 2018 or Neoferdina momo Mah 2018 are known only from mesophotic depths. Neoferdina cumingi which has been reported from shallow-water settings in Japan ( Saba et al. 2002), has been reported from mesophotic depths elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific ( Mah, 2017) but no Okinawan specimens were identified in the collections surveyed.