Persephonaster tenuis Fisher 1913

Yiu, Sam King Fung & Mah, Christopher L., 2024, New Ecological Observations and Occurrence for Asteroidea and Echinoidea in Hong Kong, Zootaxa 5526 (1), pp. 1-69 : 44

Persephonaster tenuis Fisher 1913

FIGURE 33A–D

Diagnosis

Extensive description of this species is present in Fisher (1913, 1919). A brief summary of details from Fisher (1919) is included herein for convenience.

Body strongly stellate (R/r=4.5), arms slender and narrow, interradial arcs acute. Abactinal region narrow, paxillae from interradial area with 15–18 peripheral and 8–12 central, terence, slender, blunt or bluntly pointed spinelets, longer than the low tabular. Many paxillae with an inconspicuous central fasciculate or fasciculatepectinate pedicellaria with 4–6 spiniform jaws.

Marginal plates block-like forming conspicuous border around periphery. Plates covered with small, slender appressed squamiform spinelets, which become enlarged distally along the arm into 1 to 3 short appressed spineless. Inferomarginals bearing a slightly oblique comb of proximally five distally three or four slender, appressed sharp spines. General covering of the plates consists of appressed, uncrowded squamules round tipped proximally on ray becoming more pointed distally.

Actinal intermediate plates small forming a single series extending to the tenth inferomarginal or less than 1/3 of arm length. Actinal plates bear spaced groups of lanceolate, papilliform, blunt spinelets, 4–8. The central spinelet enlarged in a minority of these groups. Minority of adambulacrals with a pectinate or fasciculate pectinate pedicellaria with 6 –8 tech.

Adambulacral plate with furrow spines, 7–8 with shortest on the lateral spines, so that the end of the spine has a curved contour. Subambulacral spines, 4–7 in a single series becoming 8–10 in two or three series distally. These latter distal subambulacrals much shorter than the furrow spines. Oral plates with 14–16 spinelets.

Comments

Although published by Fisher (1913, 1919) as part of his Indonesia /Philippine monograph, this species was apparently collected from two localities off the coast of Hong Kong (holotype from 20º37’ N, 115º43’ E, 416 m). CASIZ 28462 is mentioned in Fisher (1919: 123) as the specimen collected “near type-locality.” Fisher doubted the collection depth which he mentioned as “probable error in locality.” This species was not included in past inventories from Hong Kong which included only coverage of shallow-water species (e.g. A.M. Clark 1980).

Occurrence/Distribution

South east of Hong Kong, South China Sea, (69.5 m? error? probably 381–416 m)

Material Examined

CASIZ 28462 , the vicinity of Hong Kong 21º42’ N, 114º 50’ E, 69.5 m (38 fathoms), Coll. USFC Steamer Albatross, 9 August 1908. 1 dry spec. R=8.2 r=1.8 .

Figures

FIGURE 33. Persephonaster tenuis CASIZ 28462, vicinity of Hong Kong. A. Abactinal view. B. Closeup arm abactinal surface. C. Actinal surface. D. Closeup on actinal surface showing furrow spination and other spination.