Culcita novaeguineae 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 : 54-56

Culcita novaeguineae Müller & Troschel 1842

FIGURE 40A–B

Comments

Adults of this species are immediately recognizable based on their pentagonal, thick, cushion-like body shape with body covered by variably large and small granules and tubercles covering the abactinal, marginal and actinal body surface. Smaller individuals (R<5.0 cm) show a flattened abactinal surface covered by granules and more closely resemble members of the Goniasteridae . These “inflate” as they grow larger attaining their cushion-like shape as R>6.0 cm (approximately) ( Kano et al. 1991).

Observed individuals were brown with dark gray to black papular regions with small white spines around the anus and white to yellow colored actinal granules and adambulacral spines along the tube foot furrow. The individual in the image was feeding on a sponge on the rock.

Culcita novaeguineae is a widely occurring Pacific species whose variation has been the basis for numerous synonymies across its range, as summarized in A.M. Clark (1992). Similar to other widely occurring Indo-Pacific asteroid species, such as the Crown of Thorns ( Acanthaster spp. ), this taxon is likely a complex, including multiple cryptic species.

Glynn & Krupp (1986) reported this species from Hawaiian settings as corallivores of Scleractinia , notably Pocillopora . No observations of Culcita novaeguineae predating on coral have been made from Hong Kong waters. It is unclear which coral species this species feeds upon in this area.

Culcita novaeguineae possesses several faunal associates, known from observations throughout its range. For example, Britayaev & Fauchald (2005) documented the scale worm associate, Asterophilia culcitae from C. novaeguineae in Vietnam. Association of the shrimp, Periclimenes koror was documented from the French Polynesian island Moorea ( Olliff 2013).

Although documented from southern China by Liao & Clark (1995), this documents the first occurrence of this species from Hong Kong.

Occurrence/Distribution

Hong Kong, 10–20 m.

Outside Hong Kong. Throughout the Indo-Pacific. Southern China, Southern Japan, Philippines, the northern Australian coast, Indonesia, New Caledonia, south to Pitcairn Island, east to the Andaman Islands, east coast of Africa, 0–30 m.

Figures

FIGURE 40. Culcita novaeguineae A. In situ showing abactinal surface. B. In situ, actinal surface. Photographer: Sam King Fung Yiu.