africanus Müller & Troschel, 1842, Asteracanthion

(Fig. 1)

Asteracanthion africanus Müller & Troschel, 1842: 15 .

Marthasterias africana – Wright et al. 2016: 446.

CURRENT STATUS. — Marthasterias africana (Müller & Troschel, 1842) .

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — MHNH; Lesueur drawings collection; ref. 74026; Baudin expedition; Péron and Lesueur leg.

DISTRIBUTION. — Southernmost part of Africa.

REMARK

Now recognised as a valid species, M. africana, since its description in 1842, was considered a variety or form of the common European asteroid Marthasterias glacialis (Linnaeus, 1758) (e.g. Mortensen 1933; Clark & Courtman-Stock 1976). Péron and Lesueur collected individuals of this common species when staying in the Cape of Good Hope area on their way back to France. Péron and Lesueur’s material of A. africanus could not be found in the MNHN.