Aquilonastra, O'Loughlin in O'Loughlin & Waters, 2004

O, P. Mark, 2006, A systematic revision of the asterinid genus Aquilonastra O Loughlin, 2004 (Echinodermata: Asteroidea), Memoirs of Museum Victoria 63 (2), pp. 257-287 : 260

Aquilonastra OʼLoughlin, 2004

Aquilonastra OʼLoughlin, in OʼLoughlin and Waters, 2004: 5 (key), 13–15, tables 1 and 2.—OʼLoughlin and Rowe, 2005: 181.— Saba and Fujita, 2006: 270.— Byrne, 2006: 244, 245, 248, 250, 251.

Diagnosis (emended from OʼLoughlin and Waters, 2004). Rays discrete, broad or narrow at base, tapering, rounded distally, interradial margin deeply incurved; fissiparous or non-fissiparous; fissiparous species with more than 1 inconspicuous madreporite, up to 9 rays, rays frequently unequal in length, form frequently asymmetrical; non-fissiparous species with 1 conspicuous madreporite, rarely 2, predominantly 5 rays, sometimes 6, form symmetrical, typically stellate; body flat actinally, high convex abactinally; disc variably distinct in non-fissiparous species, sometimes delineated by 5 transversely elongate radial and 5 short interradial plates; abactinal plates predominantly irregular on upper rays, in longitudinal series on sides of rays, series not perpendicular to margin; papulate areas extensive, plates predominantly with single notch for papula in papulate areas, papulae predominantly single per space, large, in longitudinal series along sides of rays; abactinal plates with glassy convexities; abactinal spinelets small, glassy, subgranuliform to digitiform, columnar or conical or sacciform or splay-pointed sacciform, in bands or tufts, numerous (10–40 per proximal abactinal plate); superomarginal and inferomarginal plates in regular series; actinal plates in longitudinal, not oblique, series; suboral spines present;adradialactinalspinesincompleteseries;superambulacral plates present; superactinal plates present.

Type species. Asteriscus cepheus Müller and Troschel, 1842 (by original designation in OʼLoughlin and Waters, 2004).

Other species. For all 25 species see Table 1 and Fig 1.

Remarks. OʼLoughlin and Waters (2004) referred 12 species to the new genus Aquilonastra . They noted that A. heteractis had some characters that were exceptional to those shared by the other species of Aquilonastra . More recently OʼLoughlin and Rowe (2005) reassigned this species to their new genus in the recombination Ailsastra heteractis (H.L. Clark, 1938) . The remaining 11 original species are retained here in Aquilonastra . Asterina lorioli Koehler,1910 was incertae sedis in OʼLoughlin and Waters (2004). It is added here in the new combination Aquilonastra lorioli ( Koehler, 1910) . Thirteen new Aquilonastra species are described. The emended generic diagnosis refines the description but does not change any diagnostic characters.