Historical Review

The following is a brief account of literature dealing with New Zealand starfish; it deals firstly with New Zealand as a whole, then with the Chatham Islands, the Subantarctic Islands (excluding Macquarie) and lastly with the Kermadec Islands. Scientific names in current use are given in brackets.

Gray (1847) is often regarded as having described the first sea-star Astrogonium miliare (Asterodon miliaris) from New Zealand waters, however, Muller and Troschel (1842, p. 55) had already described Astrogonium pulchellum (Pentagonaster pulchellus) from New Zealand. Ayres (1851) described the same species again under the name Stephanaster elegans. These were the only species recorded from New Zealand until Verrill (1867) described 4 new sea stars from Auckland: Coelasterias australis (Stichaster australis), Coscinasterias muricata (Coscinasterias calamaria), Asterina regularis (Patiriella regularis), and Astropecten edwardsi (Astropecten polyacanthus).

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Hutton (1872) described 12 species of asteroids, of these Asterias mollis (Sclerasterias mollis), Margaraster ?scaber (Astrostole scabra) and Pteraster inflatus (Stegnaster inflatus) were new; 3 further species were recorded as new to the New Zealand fauna—the first turned out to be Astropecten polyacanthus (already known), the second was probably Henricia compacta and the third Astrogonium rugosum appears to have been a nomen nudum. By 1878, Hutton had added several further species to the fauna.

The "Challenger" occupied several stations in New Zealand waters but asteroids were taken from only 3 stations in the vicinity of Cook Strait and Sladen (1889) recorded as new Cribrella compacta (Henricia compacta) and Psilaster acuminatus.

From 1889 to about 1909 Farquhar added substantially to the New Zealand asteroid fauna in a number of papers. Among new species which Farquhar (1895) described were Stichaster insignis (Allostichaster insignis), Tarsaster neozelanicus (which he later (1909) recognised as being synonymous with Stichaster polyplax (Allostichaster polyplax) and Stichaster littoralis (Calvasterias suteri). Farquhar (1898, a) listed 28 species of starfish from New Zealand waters but many of these have now been reduced to synonomy and he also (1913) described one of the most handsome of all New Zealand starfish, Eurygonias hylacanthus.

In the meantime, specimens collected by the New Zealand Government Trawling Expedition of 1907 were described by Benham (1909, a); new species included Mediaster sladeni, Echinaster faraguhari and Luidia sp. Koehler (1911) described Goniodlon augustus (Asterodon dilatatus).

Mortensen (1925) listed 29 species of asteroids from New Zealand (this does not include species from the deep sea or the Kermadecs); he described 6 new species —Astropecten dubiosus, A. primigenius, Luidia varia, L. neozelanica (the Luidia sp. of Benham), Peridontaster benhami (Odontaster benhami), Nectria pedicelligera, Persephonaster neozelanicus (Proserpinaster neozelanicus) and a new variety of Henricia, H. compacta var. aucklandiae. Ophidiaster kermadecensis is recorded as new to the New Zealand fauna. It is interesting to note that the Index Faunae Novae Zealandiae (Hutton, 1904) recorded 31 species of starfish but the number is reduced to 18 when the Kermadec Island and deep sea species are omitted.

Between about 1925 and 1947 few papers on New Zealand asteroids appeared although Bennett published two papers: on autotomous reproduction in some asteroids (1927) and on some rare New Zealand echinoderms (1928); the latter paper included remarks on Ophidiaster kermadecensis.

Fell published a large number of papers between 1952 and 1963 and earlier (1947) he published a key to the litoral asteroids of New Zealand, later papers include an account of species from Southern New Zealand (1952) based on material collected by the "New Golden Hind" Expedition (1946), the "Alert" (1950) and the "Discovery" II (also 1950) expeditions: this material included a new species H. ralphae. Fell's 1958 paper on the deep-sea echinoderms of New Zealand included 9 new species of asteroids: Plutonaster knoxi, Benthopecten pentacanthus, Cheiraster richardsoni, Pseudarchaster garricki, P. abernethyi, Hippasteria trojana, Pteraster bathami, Peribolaster lictor, Brisingenes delli (Astrostephane moluccana) and a new variety of Allostichaster insignis. In 1959 Fell published a key to the starfish of New Zealand and (1962) a popular account of sea stars; he also published 2 papers on fossil asteroids (1952, 1956).

Other later papers include a description of new species of both Odinia and Ophidiaster (H. E. S. Clark, 1962b) and a new genus and species, Pseudechinaster rubens (H. E. S. Clark, 1962a). Two further species of Benthopecten are also described (H. E. S. Clark, in press). The New Zealand Oceanographic Institute has trawled extensively around the coasts of New Zealand in recent years and the asteroids are recorded in a series of papers by McKnight (in press).

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The asteroid fauna of the Chatham Islands was described by Young (1929) but many of the specimens he lists have not been taken since. More recent papers include that by Fell (1960) which lists no new species but describes a number of species new to the fauna; McKnight (1967) adds considerably to the fauna and records a species of Craterobrisinga.

Probably the first record of an asteroid from the Subantarctic Islands is that recorded by Filhol (1874) who recorded a species of Henricia taken by the Transit of Venus Expedition from Campbell Island. Hutton (1879) recorded Asterias rupicola Verrill var. laerigata (Calvasterias laevigata) from the Auckland Islands and also described 2 species of Henricia, one from the Auckland and the other from the Snares Islands. Later Benham (1909b) recorded several species from the Subantarctic Islands—including Asterina fimbriata (transferred to A. aucklandensis Koehler (1920, p. 135)) from the Auckland Islands and a species of Henricia found at both Campbell and Masked Islands. Mortensen (1925) added considerably to the knowledge of the Subantarctic Islands and included several species of Henricia, both species of Calvasterias and Allostichaster insignis, for the first time from the Auckland Islands. Fell (1953) recorded Asterodon dilatatus and Stichaster australis from the Snares and A. robustus from the Auckland Islands. Dawson (1965) gave the total number of asteroid species from the New Zealand Subantarctic region as 60. However, Dawson does not list names and consequently the Subantarctic records given here cannot be checked against his publication.

The checklist for the Kermadec Islands posed problems for the fauna is poorly known and little reported on. Sladen (1889) recorded several species of asteroids: Solaster torulatus, Cribrella sufflata (Henricia sufflata) and Freyella polycnema (Freyellaster polycnema). Farquhar (1907) mentions 2 species, Asteropsis imperialis (?Petricia imperialis) and Asterias rodolphi (Astrostole rodolphi). Benham (1910) mentioned 9 species including Astropecten polyacanthus, Gymnasteria lissotergum (?Asteropsis carinifera), Asterina oliveri (Patiriella oliveri), Ophidiaster kermadecensis and Asterias edmondi (?Distolasterias edmondi), the last 4 are all new species. Pawson (1965) listed a number of species from the Kermandecs including Asterodiscus truncatus, Patiriella regularis, Allostichaster polyplax, Stichaster australis and Coscinasterias calamaria.

Finally McKnight (1968) included a species of Marginaster, among others, from the Kermadec Islands.

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