Aquilonastra halseyae, O, 2006

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 : 275

Aquilonastra halseyae sp. nov.

Figures 1, 3b, 5i, 8f

Asterina burtoni . —A.M. Clark and Davies, 1966: 599, 603.— Jangoux and Aziz, 1984: 861, 872, 873 (part; non Asterina burtonii Gray, 1840 ).

Asterina cepheus .— Moosleitner, 1997: 12–13, fig. 23b (only) (fig. 23a is a photo of a Red Sea Aquilonastra sp. , pers. comm. H. Moosleitner (= A. marshae sp. nov., see below); non Asteriscus cepheus Müller and Troschel, 1842 ).

Asterina burtoni cepheus .—A.M. Clark and Rowe, 1971: 68–69, fig. 17, tbl. 1.—A.M. Clark, 1993: 208 (non Asteriscus cepheus Müller and Troschel, 1842 ).

Material examined. Holotype (in alcohol). Indian Ocean , Maldives, Addu Atoll, Gan I., lagoon reef, 10 m, P. Spencer Davies, 11 Feb 1964, NHM 1965.6 .1.84.

Paratypes. Type locality and date, NHM 1965.6.1.85a (1, dry); NHM 1965.6.1.85b (1, part dissection, in alcohol) .

Diagnosis. Non–fissiparous Aquilonastra species; rays 5, broad basally, narrowly rounded distally; up to R = 19 mm, r = 9 mm; gonopores not seen.

At R = 19 mm, rare proximal doubly papulate carinal plates; rarely 1 secondary plate per papular space; spinelets distinctly sacciform, sharp point distally; up to about 15 spinelets per proximal plate, sometimes in discrete groups; primary superomarginal plates frequently separated by smaller plate; superomarginals with 2–4 thin, sacciform pointed spinelets; inferomarginal plates with up to about 12 spinelets, proximally similar to superomarginal spinelets, more stout and longer distally.

Spines per actinal plate up to: oral 6, suboral 5, furrow 6, subambulacral 4, actinal interradial 4 (predominantly 2); interradial spines stout, short, subsacciform, pointed distally, on raised proximal edge of plates.

Colour (live). “Various shades of brown, sometimes with darker or lighter spots” ( Moosleitner, 1997; fig. 23b); disc variably outlined in white; abactinally mottled pink, pale red-brown, white, with dark red-brown flecks; or mottled dark and light red-brown, white, bright red star apically (photos by N. Coleman).

Distribution. Indian Ocean, Maldives, 1–30 m ( Moosleitner, 1997).

Etymology. Named for Sheila Halsey of the Natural History Museum in London, who has graciously assisted the authors with literature searches and facilitated the loan of materials for echinoderm research.

Remarks. The distinguishing character of A. halseyae is the distinctive sacciform, conical, sharply-pointed form of the abactinal spinelets. A.M. Clark and Rowe (1971) judged that the fissiparous and non-fissiparous asterinds occurring in the Maldives were Asterina burtoni Gray, 1840 , and referred the fissiparous form to the subspecies A. burtoni burtoni and the non-fissiparous form to the subspecies A. burtoni cepheus . We refer the non-fissiparous Maldives asterinid to A. halseyae sp. nov. (here), and the fissiparous Maldives asterinid to A. moosleitneri sp. nov. (below).