Aquilonastra iranica ( Mortensen, 1940 )

O, P. Mark, 2006, A systematic revision of the asterinid genus Aquilonastra O Loughlin, 2004 (Echinodermata: Asteroidea), Memoirs of Museum Victoria 63 (2), pp. 257-287 : 275

publication ID

1447-2554

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/F03E746C-5D7C-FFD8-FCAB-FF00D88DFAE3

treatment provided by

Felipe

scientific name

Aquilonastra iranica ( Mortensen, 1940 )
status

 

Aquilonastra iranica ( Mortensen, 1940) View in CoL

Figures 1, 5j–k

Asterina cephea var. iranica Mortensen, 1940: 65–66 View in CoL , pl. 1 figs 1–4.

Asterina burtoni View in CoL .—A.M. Clark and Rowe, 1971: 68, 69, tbl. 1.— Price, 1983: 47–48, fig. 14 (part, non-fissiparous).

Asterina burtoni burtoni var. iranica View in CoL .—A.M. Clark, 1993: 207, 208.

Aquilonastra iranica View in CoL .—OʼLoughlin and Waters, 2004: 11, 13–15.

Material examined. Syntype, Iranian Gulf , S of Bushire, coral reef, 18 Feb 1937, AM J17891 (1, dry) . Other material. Bahrain, Jufair , mudflat, WAM Z6868 About WAM (6) ; W Pakistan, Balochistan coast, Gwader , 25°N 62°E, 2 Dec 1977, NMV F112182 About NMV (1) GoogleMaps ; F112183 (2).

Diagnosis. Non-fissiparous Aquilonastra species; rays 5, long, broad basally, tapering, rounded distally; up to R = 35 mm, r = 15 mm ( Mortensen, 1940); abactinal proximal interradial pedicellariae, pairs of tooth-like differentiated valves; abactinal gonopores.

At R = 20 mm, r = 11 mm, from 0 to 5 proximal doubly papulate carinal plates; lacking secondary plates; spinelets on abactinal plates in small groups, up to 4 per group, or in transverse single or double series; up to about 12 spinelets on proximal abactinal plates; spinelets short, thick, conical to subsacciform; distal interradial plates with 4–6 splayed spinelets; superomarginal plates smaller than inferomarginals, up to about 6 spinelets per superomarginal plate, up to about 12 thicker spinelets per inferomarginal plate.

Spines per actinal plate up to: oral 8, suboral 5, furrow 7, subambulacral 9 (sometimes in 2 series), actinal interradial 5 (predominantly 3); interradial spines long, conical.

Colour (live). “Grayish, with reddish or bluish-gray spots; oral side lighter, uniformly coloured” ( Mortensen, 1940).

Distribution. Iranian Gulf; Arabian Sea, W Pakistan, soft and hard substrate.

Remarks. OʼLoughlin and Waters (2004) raised A. cephea var. iranica to species status. A. iranica is distinguished by: large size (up to R = 35 mm); pedicellariae with differentiated valves; few short thick conical to subsacciform spinelets on proximal abactinal plates.

AM

Australian Museum

WAM

Western Australian Museum

NMV

Museum Victoria

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Echinodermata

Class

Asteroidea

Order

Valvatida

Family

Asterinidae

Genus

Aquilonastra

Loc

Aquilonastra iranica ( Mortensen, 1940 )

O, P. Mark 2006
2006
Loc

Asterina burtoni burtoni var. iranica

Clark, A. M. 1993: 207
1993
Loc

Asterina burtoni

Price, A. R. G. 1983: 47
Clark, A. M. & Rowe, F. W. E. 1971: 68
1971
Loc

Asterina cephea var. iranica

Mortensen, Th. 1940: 66
1940
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