Aquilonastra cepheus ( Müller & Troschel 1842 )

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 : 39-40

Aquilonastra cepheus ( Müller & Troschel 1842)

FIGURE 28

Comments

Images of this species corresponded with descriptions outlined by Liao & Clark (1995) including the more stellate body shape and the central red spot as presented in O’Loughlin & Rowe (2006). Spination on the examined specimens, identified as A. cepheus , showed more blunt actinal spines and translucent abactinal spinelets in contrast to A. limboonkengi as shown in O’Loughlin & Rowe (2006). The stellate body shape, i.e. the narrower arms differentiates this species from Indianastra sarasini (with synonym Asterina orthodon Fisher 1922 ). Spination of the species figured herein was in accord with A. cepheus and colors of the specimens imaged were more consistent with those figured by O’Loughlin & Rowe (2006), as opposed to Aquilonastra limboonkengi which as per Liao & Clark (1995) has more solid brown coloration. O’Loughlin & Rowe (2006) however cautioned that color in this species varied greatly and could be uniform.

Occurrence/Distribution

Hong Kong, 5–20 m.

Outside Hong Kong, Southern China, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Northern Australia to Japan, Singapore to the Caroline Is, Sri Lanka. 0– 70 m. (Based on Marsh & Fromont 2020; Liao & Clark 1995).

Figures

FIGURE 28. Aquilonastra cepheus. In situ observation. Photographer: Sam King Fung Yiu.