Patiriella gunnii (Gray)

O'Loughlin, P. M., Waters, J. M. & Roy, M. S., 2003, A molecular and morphological review of the asterinid, Patiriella gunnii (Gray) (Echinodermata: Asteroidea), Memoirs of Museum Victoria 60 (2), pp. 181-195 : 183-184

Patiriella gunnii (Gray)

Figures 1 (as P. ‘brevispina’), 2a–f, 3a–f, 7b

Asterina gunnii Gray, 1840: 289–290 .— Gray, 1866: 16.—McCoy, 1890: 372, pl. 200 fig. 2 (part).

Patiriella gunnii . — Verrill, 1913: 484.— Dartnall, 1970: 74–76, pl. 1.

Patiriella brevispina H.L. Clark, 1938: 166–167 , pl. 22 figs 2–3.— Cotton and Godfrey, 1942: 202.—H.L. Clark, 1946: 134–135.—A.M. Clark, 1966: 320.— Shepherd, 1968: 745, 747.— Dartnall, 1969: 55.— Dartnall, 1970: 75–76.— Dartnall, 1971: 47, fig. 1.— Dartnall, 1980: 34, 65.— Rowe and Vail, 1982: 222.— Zeidler and Shepherd, 1982: 402, 412; figs 10.7c, d.— O’Loughlin, 1984: 136.— Bennett, 1987: 346–347, fig.— Rowe and Gates, 1995: 39.— Campbell and Rowe, 1997: 130.— Edgar, 1997: 346, fig.— Hart et al., 1997: 1848–1861, figs 1–4, tabs 1, 2.— Byrne et al., 1999: 188–191, figs 1, 3C, 6 (new synonymy).

Material examined. Asterina gunnii Gray, 1840 . Australia, Tasmania, Hobart, Sandy Bay, 2 m, R. Gunn, BMNH 40.3.9.10 (Lectotype: dry; partly cleared; designation by Dartnall, 1970); BMNH 40.3.9.-11, 12, 13 (3 specimens).

Patiriella brevispina H.L. Clark, 1938 . Western Australia, Koombana Bay, Bunbury , 9–14 m, E.W. Bennett and H.L. Clark, 26 Oct 1949, AM J6181 (2 paratypes, dry).

Other material (selected for molecular confirmation, distribution and depth data). Vic. East Gippsland, off Ninety Mile Beach, 38˚42’ S, 147˚53’ E, 22 m, NMV F73255 (1); Western Port, Honeysuckle Point, TM H723 (4); Flinders, ocean platforms, NMV F71744 (3) (MOL 54); NMV F93430 (1) (MOL 180); NMV F93429 (1) (MOL 10); NMV F93435 (4) (MOL 130–131); Port Phillip Bay, Altona, NMV F72130 (1) (MOL 53); Geelong, Mackey St jetty, 2 m, NMV F93441 (1) (MOL 51, 56); “Mullet Holes”, 10 km NE Apollo Bay, NMV F93433 (3) (MOL 97–99); Port Fairy, Griffith I., rocky shallows, NMV F93432 (1) (MOL 81); Portland, below lighthouse, 2–3 m, NMV F93440 (1). Tas. Eaglehawk Neck, rocky shallows, NMV F71873 (1); Bass Strait, Cape Portland, TM H596 (1); Jacobs Boat Harbour, TM H2941 (1). SA. Gulf Saint Vincent, Normanville, NMV F74628 (1) (MOL 60); NMV F74629 (1) (MOL 59); NMV F93434 (1) (MOL 111); NMV F93436 (1) (MOL 102); Eyre Peninsula, Point Westall, near Streaky Bay, NMV F93437 (1) (MOL 55); Nuyts Archipelago, Goat I., 29 m, NMV F93446 (1). WA. Esperance, Sandy Hook I., WAM Z9471 (1); Busselton, jetty piles, 4 m, WAM Z8948 (3) (MOL 146); Cockburn Sound, TM H1116 (4); Trigg I., WAM Z9539 (2); Yanchep, lagoon, NMV F93443 (2).

Description (dry and cleared specimens). Up to R = 56 mm; 5–9 rays, predominantly 6 (102 of 116 AM specimens with 6 rays, 10 with 7 rays, 2 with 5 rays, 1 with 8 rays, 1 with 9 rays); form variable from 6 short rounded to pointed rays with interradial margin incurved, to hexagonal; body thick, flat orally, flattened dome aborally, acute angle at margin; madreporite conspicuous; lacking pedicellariae; gonopores abactinal.

Abactinal surface uneven; papulate areas more extensive than non-papulate areas; secondary plates abundant, very irregular in size and form; proximal radial and interradial plates openly imbricate; proximal papular spaces large, frequently up to 16–20 secondary plates and 16–20 papulae in proximal papular spaces outside disc when R = 30 mm (5–6 secondary plates and 5–6 papulae when R = 20 mm); abactinal plates thick, raised, prominent, crescentic in papulate areas, carinally with double notch and proximal lobe; carinal series variably regular from close to disc to end or near end of rays, frequently doubly papulate to near end of ray when R = 20 mm and larger; distal interradial non-papulate plates closely imbricate, domed, rounded proximally; disc variably distinct, bordering plates variably regular crescentic radial plates and smaller interradial plates, disc frequently obscured by irregular large plates within and distal to disc; abactinal plates granular, covered by glassy convexities, lacking spine-bearing ridge; abactinal spinelets with variable form, frequently widened distally, some capitate or truncate or columnar or narrowing distally or with swollen base, long spines distally, typically about 0.40 mm long when R = 30 mm (0.32 mm when R = 20 mm), distributed over projecting surface of plates; superomarginal plates aligned longitudinally with inferomarginal plates; lacking internal superambulacral plates between ambulacrals and actinals; distal abactinal and actinal interradial plates with internal tapered vertical contiguous projections.

Projecting inferomarginal plates form margin, up to about 11 spinelets per plate when R = 20–30 mm; actinal plates in regular series, curving acutely from furrow to margin, some proximal actinal areas not calcified; actinal interradial spines generally thick, very short, columnar to bulbous, distally minutely spinous; actinal interradial proximal plates with 1–2 spines, distally 2–3 (4 rare); adradial row of actinal interradial proximal plates with predominantly 1 short, thick, bulbous to tapered spine, typically up to only half the length of subambulacral spines; adambulacral proximal plates with predominantly 1 (2 rare) thick subambulacral spines, frequently bulbous with waist, form variable from columnar to subspatulate to spatulate, minutely spinous distally; furrow spines 2–3 (4 rare) proximally, fairly thick, form variable from tapered to slightly widened distally; suboral spines rare (7 suboral spines on 1 of 116 AM specimens); oral spines 4–6, predominantly 5.

Live colour. Abactinally uniform dark crimson or reddishbrown (a few AM labels refer to “purple” and “indigo blue”), paler actinally; orange tube feet.

Distribution. Eastern Vic. (off Ninety Mile Beach) continuous to Abrolhos Islands off WA (Loisette Marsh, pers. comm.); Bass Strait; Tas.; under rocks; 0–29 m (molecular confirmation for Flinders (Vic.) to Busselton (WA)).

Remarks. The lectotype of Asterina gunnii and the two paratypes of Patiriella brevispina seen in this study do not exhibit any significant morphological differences and in particular have single stout subambulacral spines per plate and very short actinal interradial spines. These two diagnostic characters were used by Clark (1938) to distinguish his new species. Clark (1938) also considered the “consistent deep purple to brownish-crimson colour and orange tube feet” of P. brevispina to be diagnostically reliable. This observation is confirmed and specimens with these characteristic colours consistently exhibit the morphological diagnostic characters of A. gunnii . Dartnall (1970) followed H.L. Clark (1938) when designating and describing the lectotype of A. gunnii , and noted that paired subambulacral spines distinguished P. gunnii from P. brevispina . Dartnall (1970) then considered the lectotype of A. gunnii to be exceptional in having single subambulacral spines. The lectotype of A. gunnii ( R = 24 mm) and paratypes of P. brevispina (up to R = 20 mm) are similar in size, and are small specimens of A. gunnii (up to R = 56 mm). On the morphological evidence P. brevispina is considered here to be a junior synonym of A. gunnii .

Hart et al. (1997) and Byrne et al. (1999) found from molecular evidence that P. ‘brevispina’ specimens from eastern Australia (Mornington Peninsula, Vic.) and Western Australia (Perth) were closely related. Eastern and Western Australian specimens of P. ‘brevispina’ were found to be conspecific in this study. Byrne (1995, 1996), Byrne and Cerra (1996), and Long and Byrne (2001) have reported on the reproductive and developmental biology of P. gunnii (as P. ‘brevispina’).

The combination of characters which distinguishes P. gunnii from other six-rayed species of Patiriella is: consistent uniform dark crimson to reddish brown colour; orange tube feet; larger maximum size; prominent papular spaces with numerous papulae and secondary plates; noticeably spinous abactinal spinelets; predominantly single thick subambulacral spines per plate; and very short thick actinal interradial spines. No evidence was found to confirm the occurrence of P. gunnii in NSW, or the depth of 39 m reported by Rowe and Gates (1995, as P. ‘brevispina’).

Figures

Figure 1. One of 1000+ optimal MP trees (863 steps) derived from analysis of CO1 sequence data. Numbers at nodes are bootstrap percentages based on 500 replicate analyses. MOL codes refer to specimens obtained for the current study. AM codes refer to Australian Museum specimens. Previously published sequences (Hart et al., 1997) are indicated in bold. Geographic origin of samples is indicated: Tasmania (T), Victoria (V), New South Wales (N), South Australia (S), Western Australia (W).