Fromia milleporella ( Lamarck, 1816 )

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 : 19

Fromia milleporella ( Lamarck, 1816)

Asterias Lamarck 1816: 564

Linckia Müller & Troschel 1840: 103

Fromia Gray 1840: 286 ; de Loriol 1885: 44; Fisher 1919: 378; H.L. Clark 1921: 40; Hayashi 1938 c: 205, Clark & Rowe 1971: 34; Marsh 1977: 257; Liao 1980: 159; Jangoux 1986: 130–131; Liao & Clark 1995: 115; Rowe & Gates 1995: 82; Gosliner et al 1996: 258; Mah 2018: 38 (as Fromia )

Scytaster Michelin 1845: 22

Diagnosis

Body strongly stellate (R/r= 3.5–4.5), arms triangular, interradial arcs acute. Abactinal surface with mound-like, abutted plates, outlines round, size and shape largely uniform. Abactinal, marginal, actinal surfaces all covered by continuous granulation. Marginal plates with lateral facing, no spinelets or tubercles on distal superomarginal plate surfaces. Papulae present abactinal, lateral, actinal surfaces. Three, thick, blunt furrow spines, adjacent to two blunt subambulacral spines. Adambulacral surface otherwise covered by granules consistent with those on actinal surface.

Comments

This species differs from Fromia hemiopla , in absence of tubercles or spinelets on the distalmost marginal plates, presence of a more stellate body shape, and a narrower arm abactinal plate field. Indian Ocean specimens of this species were documented by Mah (2018)

Occurrence

Southern Japan, Okinawa, 3– 10 m.

Outside of Japanese waters. Southern China, South China Sea, Southern Vietnam, Australia (Great Barrier Reef, Timor Sea, Tasman Sea, Norfolk Island), Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Marshall and Society Islands, Palau, Fiji, New Caledonia, Maldives, Red Sea, South Africa, Mascarene Islands, Madagascar. 0–175 m

No Material Examined