Ogmaster capella ( Müller & Troschel, 1842 )

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 : 23-24

Ogmaster capella ( Müller & Troschel, 1842)

Goniodiscus capella Müller & Troschel 1842: 61

Goniaster (Ogmaster) capella von Martens 1865: 359

Dorigona reevesi Gray 1866: 7 , pl. 7, fig. 3

Ogmaster capella Sladen 1889: 261 ; Leipoldt 1895: 649; Koehler 1910: 79; H.L. Clark 1916: 47; Fisher 1919: 262, 305; Döderlein 1935: 101; Clark & Rowe 1971: 32 (key); Jangoux in Guille & Jangoux 1978: 53; Jangoux & Aziz 1988: 633; A.M. Clark 1993: 267; Clark & Liao 1995: 94; Sastry 2005: 29 (checklist); Bigot et al. 2006:8 (Table 2); Mah 2018: 70; Kogure & Kaneko 2019: 63–65; Arai & Fujita 2021: 15.

Diagnosis

Abactinal, marginal and actinal plates covered by a thin membrane, abactinal plates hexagonal with numerous embedded crystalline bodies embedded in surface. Granules absent from abactinal, marginal and actinal surface. Furrow spines three to six, adambulacral plate with no other accessories, surface covered by a thin dermal layer.

Comments

Ogmaster capella was documented in Japanese waters (East China Sea) from 95–258 m ( Kogure & Kaneko 2019), but occurs widely throughout the Indo-Pacific where it is present between 0 and 147 m depth ( Mah 2018). Gut contents of Indian Ocean specimens was coarse-grained, including foraminifera and echinoderm skeletal elements, whereas Stellaster childreni was found with more fine grained sediments ( Mah 2018). Liao & Clark (1995) noted that Ogmaster capella is a fairly common species in the northeastern part of the South China Sea.

Liao & Clark (1995) stated without argumentation that Stellaster septemtrionalis Imaoka et al. (1991) was a synonym of Ogmaster capella . Arai & Fujita (2021) argued that Stellaster septemtrionalis displays minute granulation on its surface, where Ogmaster does not. Thus, Stellaster septemtrionalis appears to be a separate taxon from Ogmaster capella . Further phylogenetic review of these taxa, along with related genera, such as Anthenoides , is desirable.

Within the Goniasteridae , Ogmaster shares many morphological characters with Stellaster , Anthenoides , and Stellasteropsis (summarized in part by Mah 2018). Spencer & Wright (1966) outlined the subfamily Anthenoidinae to accommodate Anthenoides , Atelorias , Ogmaster , Siraster , and Stellaster . Preliminary phylogenetic work by Mah (2005b) disagrees with the taxonomic composition of this group and testing of additional genera from other families, such as the Oreasteridae remains to be done.

Occurrence

Northeastern Okinawa, 95– 258 m.

Outside Japan, Widely occurring throughout the Indo-Pacific. S. China Sea to N. Australia, Bay of Bengal, Red Sea, Southwest Indian Ocean (off Reunion Island), Madagascar. 0– 147 m.

No Japanese Material Examined