Ailsastra paulayi, O'Loughlin & Rowe, 2005

O'Loughlin, P. Mark & Rowe, Francis W. E., 2005, A new asterinid genus from the Indo-West Pacific region, including five new species (Echinodermata: Asteroidea: Asterinidae), Memoirs of Museum Victoria 62 (2), pp. 181-189 : 188-189

Ailsastra paulayi sp. nov.

Figures 1 , 2f , 3f , 5g –i

Material examined. Holotype (in alcohol, part dissected). Indonesia, Sulawesi I., Pulau Talatakoh , 0°28'2''S, 122°8'22''E, 1–10 m, G. Paulay, 19 Sep 1999, UF 1815 .

Paratype. Sulawesi I., 1– 2°S, 121° E, 1–16 m, G. Paulay, 26 Sep 1999, UF 910 .

Diagnosis. Ailsastra with, at R = 16 mm, discrete, elongate, narrow, slightly tapered rays, R/r about 2.7; 8 longitudinal series of papulae across mid-ray; disc regularly bordered; long, thin, spinelets, up to about 0.25 mm long; proximal and distal interradial spinelets subequal; superomarginal and inferomarginal spinelets subequal; up to 7 actinal interradial spines per plate.

Description (holotype). Morphological characters of Ailsastra ; integument evident; 5 rays, R up to 16 mm; rays discrete, narrow at base, elongate, low, slightly tapered, rounded distally, R/r about 2.7; single madreporite, not fissiparous; abactinal gonopores. Carinal series of plates broadly visible, plates not noticeably below adcarinal plates, doubly papulate, other ray plates not indented for single papula, 3 longitudinal series of papulae on each upper side of rays, 8 longitudinal series across mid-ray; disc regular, defined by 5 radial, 5 interradial plates; spinelets glassy, thin, subsacciform to conical, each with few small points distally, up to about 20 spinelets in single or double webbed series across proximal edge of plate, or in splayed tufts on plates, spinelets up to about 0.25 mm long on proximal ray, up to about 10 in subpaxilliform splayed tuft on distal interradial plates; proximal and distal interradial spinelets subequal in length; superomarginal and inferomarginal spinelets subequal in length, up to about 6 per superomarginal plate, about 14 per inferomarginal plate. Actinal spines per plate: oral 5–6; suboral 0–1; furrow (proximal) 5; subambulacral 4; adradial actinal 3; interradial 3–7; interradial spines glassy, thin, subsacciform to conical, splay-pointed, in webbed tufts.

Colour (live). Mottled red and orange (holotype photo by G. Paulay: GP 670 :24) .

Distribution. Indonesia, Sulawesi; 1– 16 m.

Etymology. Named in recognition of Dr Gustav Paulay of the University of Florida, who collected this material and who has facilitated extensive collecting of asterinid material throughout the Indo-Pacific region.

Remarks. The paratype is small (R = 7 mm), and the rays are not as narrow as those of the holotype. Molecular phylogenetic data from Jon Waters (pers. comm.) places the two specimens of A. paulayi in a highly divergent but strongly monophyletic clade within a molecular phylogeny of Asterinidae (Jon Waters, pers. comm.; paper in preparation).

Figures

Figure 1. Distributions of the type localities of the six species of Ailsastra gen. nov.

Figure 2. Abactinal view of holotypes of species of Ailsastra gen. nov. (photographed at same magnification). a, Ailsastra achituvi sp. nov., R = 10 mm, NHM 1951.5.7.12; b, Ailsastra amezianeae sp. nov., R = 10 mm, MNHN EcAs 11845; c, Ailsastra booneni sp. nov., R = 9 mm, UF 1938; d, Ailsastra eleaumei sp. nov., R = 7.5 mm, MNHN EcAs 11843; e, Ailsastra heteractis (H.L. Clark, 1938), R = 7 mm, MCZ 3258; f, Ailsastra paulayi sp. nov., R = 16 mm, UF 1815.

Figure 3. Actinal view of holotypes of species of Ailsastra gen. nov. a, Ailsastra achituvi sp. nov., R = 10 mm, NHM 1951.5.7.12; b, Ailsastra amezianeae sp. nov., R = 10 mm, MNHN EcAs 11845; c, Ailsastra booneni sp. nov., R = 9 mm, UF 1938; d, Ailsastra eleaumei sp. nov., R = 7.5 mm, MNHN EcAs 11843; e, Ailsastra heteractis (H.L. Clark, 1938), R = 7 mm, MCZ 3258; f, Ailsastra paulayi sp. nov., R = 16 mm, UF 1815.

Figure 5. a–c, Ailsastra eleaumei sp. nov., MNHN EcAs 11843: a, low carinal series of plates with bowl-shaped spinelet arrangements; b, bowl-shaped arrangements of spinelets on disc plates; c, interradial abactinal gonopores (arrows). d–f, Ailsastra heteractis (H.L. Clark, 1938), MCZ 3258: d, lateral ray abactinal spinelets; e, inferomarginal spinelets; f, small oral plates, proximal actinal pores (arrows). g–i, Ailsastra paulayi sp. nov., UF 1815: g, abactinal spinelets; h, abactinal interradial plates removed to show absence of superambulacral plates (arrow); i, distal abactinal interradius.