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Sea-Stars (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) from "Eltanin" Cruise 26, with a Review of the New Zealand Asteroid Fauna
Family Asteriidae Gray, 1840
Family Asteriidae Gray, 1840
Allostichaster Verrill, 1914
Allostichaster insignis (Farquhar)
Stichaster insignis Farquhar, 1895, p. 203, pls. 10, 11, 12, figs. 1–14, pl. 13, fig. 1.
Allostichaster insignis Mortensen, 1925, p. 316. fig. 19; Fell, 1960. p. 66; McKnight, 1967, p. 303.
Material Examined:
One specimen, Sta. 1847.
Size:
R/r = 36/5 mm.
Remarks:
The present specimen has 3 longer and 3 slightly shorter arms and 4 madreporites.
Colour:
Pale pinkish-white abactinally; white actinally.
Geographical Distribution:
From Cook Strait to Auckland, Campbell and Chatham Islands, it is probably present north of Wellington, New Zealand also.
Depth Range:
Shore-222 m.
Type Locality:
Wellington Harbour or Taylor's Mistake, Lyttelton, New Zealand; 18–22 m.
Location of Type:
Canterbury Museum, Christchurch.
Allostichaster polyplax (Müller and Troschel).
Asteracanthion polyplax Müller and Troschel, 1844, p. 178.
Stichaster polyplax Sladen, 1889, p. 432; Farquhar, 1897, p. 196.
Tarsaster neozelanicus Farquhar, 1895, p. 207, pl. 12, figs. 15–23.
Asterias polyplax Clark, H. L., 1914, p. 151.
Allostichaster polyplax Mortensen, 1925, p. 315; Clark. H. L., 1946, p. 157; Fell. 1960, p. 66; McKnight, 1967, p. 303.
Material Examined:
One specimen, Sta. 1847.
Size:
R/r = 30/8 mm.
Remarks:
The present specimen is broken with the 8 more or less equal arms separated from the disc. Disc very convex, arms broken from disc at level of either second or third adambulacral plates. Only one madreporite is present.
Colour:
Greyish yellow.
Geographical Distribution
Widespread throughout New Zealand and the Chatham Islands, also South Australia and Tasmania.
Depth Range
Shore to 238 m.
Type Locality:
Tasmania.
Location of Type:
? Berlin Zoological Museum.
Sclerasterias Perrior, 1891
Sclerasterias mollis (Hutton) (Fig. 1, 1).
Asterias mollis Hutton, 1872, p. 4.
Sclerasterias mollis Fisher. 1924, p. 4; Mortensen, 1925, p. 318, pl. 14, figs. 13, 14; Fell, 1958, p. 19; —, 1960, p. 65; McKnight, 1967, p. 302.
Material Examined:
6 specimens, Sta. 1847.
Size:
R = 21–155 mm.; average 60 mm.; r = 3–17 mm., average 9 mm.
Remarks:
Most variation in the specimens occurs in the number and arrangement of the abactinal pedicellariae and spines; the straight pedicellariae of the abactinal surface may be very numerous in larger specimens between the midradial or superomarginal spines or they may be few and indistinct; similarly, the dorso-lateral row of spines may be present to almost the midpoint of the arms or the spines may be restricted proximally to the first few plates or they may be absent altogether. In the largest (broken) specimen in the present collection (R/r = 155/17 mm.) straight pedicellariae are very numerous abactinally on the arms; these pedicellariae (fig. 1) may be finely unguiculate (or felipedal) with 4 or 5 teeth which interlock with those from the neighbouring valve. These teeth are very much finer than those described by Fell (1958, p. 20, pl. 2, fig. D) for Cosmasterias dyscrita H. L. Clark. Similar pedicellariae may also be present along the ambulacral grooves. Specimens in the author's collection also have the distinctive unguiculate pedicellariae.
Colour:
Large specimen—disc and marginal plates orange and yellow-white, spines and pedicellariae white; actinal surface and tube feet white-grey; smaller specimens, dark red.
Geographical Distribution:
Cook Strait south to Otago, New Zealand and Chatham Islands.
Depth Range
22–697 m.
Type Locality:
Hutton (1872) does not give a locality.
Location of Type:
Dominion Museum, Wellington, New Zealand.
Stylasterias Verrill, 1914
Stylasterias reticulata (H. L. Clark) (Pl. 3, c, d).
Pedicellaster reticulatus Clark, H. L., 1916, p. 69, pl. 27, figs. 3, 4.
Stylasterias reticulata Clark, A. M., 1962, p. 99, text fig. 18, pl. 6, figs. 5, 6.
Material Examined:
5 specimens and 6 arms, Sta. 1815.
Size:
Specimens distorted but in the 5 animals R = 55–40 mm., r = 3–4 mm.
Remarks:
The present specimens agree well with previous descriptions; a specimen from the British Museum (1965.8.5.290) shows few differences although it is smaller than the present specimen and has fewer crossed abactinal pedicellariae. However, variation does occur in the felipedal pedicellariae which may be short and squat or longer and more slender; similarly, the interlocking fingers may be very long and slender, or short, they are apparently easily broken. Small straight pedicellariae and occasionally enlarged felipedal pedicellariae are present along the ambulacral groove; there may also be an extra oral spine.
Colour:
Orange with yellow markings, madreporite white, abactinally; tube feet pale lemon yellow actinally.
Geographical Distribution:
Previously, this species has been known from off Tasmania only; the present specimen is from off the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand.
Depth Range
128–421 m.
Type Locality:
Off Maria Island, Tasmania.
Location of Type:
? Australian Museum.