Stellasteropsis pharaonum (Dollfus, 1936) Mah, 2018

Mah, Christopher L., 2018, New genera, species and occurrence records of Goniasteridae (Asteroidea; Echinodermata) from the Indian Ocean, Zootaxa 4539 (1), pp. 1-116 : 95

Stellasteropsis pharaonum nov. comb. ( Roman & Strougo 1987)

Figure 36 A

Roman & Strougo 1987: 29 (as Fayoumaster )

Diagnosis. Arms elongate, triangular. Interradial disk plates paired with contact aligned with interradial superomarginals. Marginal plates wide interradially becoming wide distally. Superomarginals with granular cover, short tubercular spines on abactinal surface.

Comments. Although numerous characters place Fayoumaster within the synonymy of Stellasteropsis there is less support that Stellasteropsis pharaonum nov. comb. is conspecific with any extant species of Stellasteropsis . The tubercles present on the superomarginals in S. pharaonum are completely absent in most species of modern Stellasteropsis save for Stellasteropsis tuberculiferus which has tubercles, but limited to the superomarginals on the distal arm region. Also dissimilar with other Stellasteropsis spp. are the carinal plates, which are wide in S. pharaonum but more equal in length and width in other Stellasterospsis species. Stellasteropsis tuberculiferus also displays tubercles on the weakly convex abactinal plates which are absent on the mostly flat plates in S. pharaonum . Stellasteropsis pharaonum is left as a separate species pending further data on variation and relationships within Stellasteropsis .

Occurrence. Late Eocene, Qasr el Sagha Formation, Egypt.

Material Examined. MNHN R06558, Holotype. Qasr el Sagha, Egypte. Upper Lutetien. R06449 Paratype. Qasr el Sagha, Egypte. Upper Eocene .

Figures

FIGURE 36. A. Stellasteropsis pharanonum, abactinal surface. R=4.5, r=1.2 cm. scale bar=0.6 cm. B. Stellasteropsis fouadi, long armed form. C. Stellasteropsis tuberculiferus, BMNH Type 1937.6.18.242. R=4.4, r=1.6 cm. D. Stellasteropsis colubrinus BMNH Type 1937.6.18.241.