Asteronyx loveni Müller & Troschel, 1842

Nethupul, Hasitha, Stöhr, Sabine & Zhang, Haibin, 2022, New species, redescriptions and new records of deep-sea brittle stars (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea) from the South China Sea, an integrated morphological and molecular approach, European Journal of Taxonomy 810 (1), pp. 1-95 : 11-12

Asteronyx loveni Müller & Troschel, 1842

Figs 2–3

Asteronyx loveni Müller & Troschel, 1842: 119–120 , pl. 10 figs 3–5.

Ophiuropsis lymani Studer, 1884: 55–46 , pl. 5 fig. 12a–d.

Asteronyx dispar Lütken & Mortensen, 1889: 185 , pls 21–22.

Asteronyx locardi Koehler, 1895: 470–471 , fig. 10.

Asteronyx cooperi Bell, 1909: 22 .

Ophiuraster patersoni Litvinova, 1998: 441–444 , fig. 3.

Asteronyx loveni – Döderlein 1927: 59, 97, pl. 7 figs 7–8. — Baker 1980: 12, 16–18, figs 2–3. — Liao & Clark 1995: 165–166, fig. 71. — McKnight 2000: 8, 13–15, pl. 1. — Olbers et al. 2019: 49–50, fig. 23.

Ophiuraster patersoni – Stöhr 2005: 545–546, fig. 1.

Material examined

CHINA • 1 spec.; South China Sea, SE of Hainan Island , seamount; 18°31.76′ N, 112°40.56′ E; depth 1167 m; 27 Jun. 2019; collection event: stn SC002; MSV Shenhaiyongshi leg.; preserved in -80°C; GenBank: MZ 198756 , MZ 203264 ; IDSSE EEB-SW0002 .

Remarks

Disc diameter 11 mm and collected attached to a gorgonian species. Our specimen is similar to the holotype description by Müller & Troschel (1842) and later published descriptions ( Baker 1980; McKnight 2000; Olbers et al. 2019) ( Fig. 2 ). Vertebrae with a streptospondylous articulation and the lateral arm plate bears four to five spine articulations, which lack a separate nerve opening ( Fig. 3 ). Species of Asteronyx are usually found on mud and sand, associated with gorgonians and pennatulids. In 1959 and from 1976 to 1981, 52 specimens of A. loveni were collected from the East and South China seas, at depths of 510–1100 m. Asteronyx loveni was first reported from the South China Sea by Chang et al. (1962).

Distribution

62–4721 m depth. Global, except Arctic and Antarctic ( Olbers et al. 2019; OBIS 2021).

Figures

Fig. 2. Asteronyx loveni Müller & Troschel, 1842 (IDSSE EEB-SW0002). A. Dorsal disc. B. Ventral disc. C. Oral frame. D. Genital slit. E. Dorsal arm. F. Arm spines. Abbreviations: ars = arm spines; gs = genital slit; rs = radial shield; tp = tentacle pore. Scale bars: A–B = 2 mm; C–E = 1 mm; F = 200 µm.

Fig. 3. Asteronyx loveni Müller & Troschel, 1842, SEM (IDSSE EEB-SW0002).A–B. Lateral arm plates (external, internal). C–G. Vertebrae. C. Proximal view. D. Distal view. E. Ventral view. F. Dorsal view. G. Lateral view. Abbreviations: asa = arm spine articulation; D = dorsal; Dist = distal; mo = muscle opening; p = perforation of inner side; Prox = proximal; V = ventral. Scale bars: A–B = 300 µm; C–D, F–G = 500 µm; E = 800 µm.