Paulasterias, Mah & Linse & Copley & Marsh & Rogers & Clague & Foltz, 2015

Mah, Christopher, Linse, Katrin, Copley, Jon, Marsh, Leigh, Rogers, Alex, Clague, David & Foltz, David, 2015, Description of a new family, new genus, and two new species of deep-sea Forcipulatacea (Asteroidea), including the first known sea star from hydrothermal vent habitats, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society (Zool. J. Linn. Soc.) 174 (1), pp. 93-113 : 98

PAULASTERIAS GEN. NOV.

Etymology

See below.

Key to species

1. Seven arms in most individuals examined ( Fig. 3A– D ), with two specimens showing some variation (one six-rayed individual with emerging seventh ray and one seven-rayed individual with emerging eighth ray; Fig. 3B ). Abactinal , lateral surface covered by dense thickets of spinelets ( Fig. 3E,F ). Welldeveloped septa present at internal arm junction ( Fig. 4D ). Adoral carina composed with one or two abutting plates ( Fig. 4C ). Tube foot rows weakly quadraserial proximally ( Figs 3D , 4C ), becoming biserial distally. Scotia Arc, Southern Ocean .

Figures

Figure 3. Paulasterias tyleri gen. et sp. nov., whole body and abactinal views. A, P. tyleri gen. et sp. nov. in situ from Kemp Caldera. B, in situ image from the E9 segment of East Scotia Ridge showing an individual apparently feeding on Kiwa sp. More specific details of this image can be found in Marsh et al. (2012). C, paratype NHMUK 204.11–15, aboral surface, R = 8.0 cm, r = 1.7 cm. D, paratype NHMUK 204.11–15, oral surface. E, paratype NHMUK 204.11–15, close-up of abactinal surface. F, paratype USNM 1231372, close-up of abactinal surface on dried specimen.

Figure 4. Paulasterias tyleri gen. et sp. nov., oral and skeletal views. All from paratype, USNM 1231372 (dried), except for (E). A, lateral view of arm showing abactinal spination, marginals, and arm details. Scale bar: 0.5 cm. B, internal view of body wall showing abactinal and marginal reticulate plate arrangement. Scale bar: 1.0 mm. C, oral view showing mouth, tube foot grooves, adambulacral spination, and mouth spines. Scale bar: 0.5 cm. D, close-up of inter-radial septa present between arms. Scale bar: 0.5 cm. E, ambulacral column from paratype USNM 1087711. Scale bar: 2.0 mm.