Anchitosia queenslandensis ( Livingstone 1932 )

Mah, Christopher L., Kogure, Yoichi, Fujita, Toshihiko & Higashiji, Takuo, 2024, New Taxa and Occurrences of Mesophotic and Deep-sea Goniasteridae (Valvatida, Asteroidea) from Okinawa and adjacent regions, Zootaxa 5403 (1), pp. 1-41 : 33-34

Anchitosia queenslandensis ( Livingstone 1932)

FIGURE 13A–B

Tosia queenslandensis Livingstone 1932 a: 243 ; 1932b: 381; H.L. Clark 1946: 94; A.M. Clark 1953: 411; Endean 1957: 238, 258; Jangoux 1984: 282; 1986: 122; Coleman 1994: 17; Gosliner et al. 1996:254; A.M. Clark 1993: 289; Saba et al. 2002: 25; Mah 2007: 322; Marsh & Fromont 2020: 224.

Diagnosis

Body stout, form stellate to weakly stellate (R/r=1.5=2.0), arm tips rounded. Abactinal plates abutted, flattened to convex, outline round to polygonal. Surface bare and smooth. Primary circlet plates enlarged, distinctive. Marginal plates 9 to 12 per interradius, surface is bare and smooth with surface weakly roughened ( Fig. 13A ). Terminals, enlarged, approximately 4x the size of adjacent superomarginal plates. Actinal plates irregularly polygonal to quadrate ( Fig. 13B ). Furrow spines 2 to 5, thickened; subambulacral spines in two rows, granular, thickened. Pedicellariae when present, with alveolar pits, valves tong-like.

Comments

A species collected from hard substrates (R.F. Bolland, pers. comm., Marsh & Fromont, 2020), the latter also occurrence on reef crest, reef front, and reef cavities. Marsh & Fromont (2020) speculate that is a benthic grazer.

Australian individuals are a dark red with white or yellow highlights coloring the granules between abactinal and marginal plates and on arm tips. Japanese individuals appear to be a solid red with no lighter colored granules between the plates.

Occurrence

Japan. Ryukyu Islands, Okinawa new record, 50– 70 m.

Outside Japan. Papua New Guinea, Great Barrier Reef, Australia to New Caledonia, 0– 58 m.

Material Examined

USNM E53616 Horseshoe Cliffs , Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands , Japan. 26º30’N, 127º50’54’E, 58 m. Coll. R. F. Bolland 18 Sept. 1981. 1 dry spec. R=1.7, r=0.9.

USNM 1114607 1 km WNW of Onna Village , Horseshoe Cliffs, Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands , 26.5 127.848, 46.0 m. Coll. R.F. Bolland, 19 May 1984. 1 wet spec. R=0.8 r=0.6.

USNM 1114608 1 km WNW of Onna Village , Horseshoe Cliffs , Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands , 26.5 127.848, 70 m. Coll. R.F. Bolland, 13 July 1987. 1 dry spec.

USNM 1607629 1 km WNW of Onna Village , Horseshoe Cliffs , Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands , 26.5 127.848, 40–46 m. Coll. R.F. Bolland, 18 March 1984. 1 wet spec. R=0.7 r=0.5.

Figures

FIGURE 13. Anchitosia queenslandensis & Ryukuaster onnae (Pentagonasterinae) A. USNM 1114607, Abactinal view. B. Actinal view. C. WAM 1629.74 (1) Abactinal view. D. Actinal view. Scale bars: A–B, 3.0 mm for C–D.