Circeaster Mah 2006: 934 New Genera, Species and Occurrences of Deep-Sea Asteroidea (Valvatacea, Forcipulatacea, Echinodermata) collected from the North Pacific Ocean by the CAPSTONE Expedition Mah, Christopher L. Zootaxa 2022 2022-07-12 5164 1 1 75   Circeaster  Mah 2006: 934   9FY9Z (Mah 2006) Mah 2022 Mah 2006 [151,537,798,825] Asteroidea Goniasteridae Atheraster Animalia Valvatida 25 26 Echinodermata species arandae   FIGURE 8C–E      Circeaster Mah 2006: 934   Diagnosis.Body stellate (R/r>4.0), small disk, arms narrow. Abactinal arm plates bare, transition between large arm plates and smaller disk plates abrupt. Marginal plates with prominent spine and abundance of smaller, secondary spinelets, especially on ventrolateral edge. Furrow spines 12–15, distinct adambulacral pedicellariae, paddleshaped. Adambulacral plate surface covered by 5–7 spinelets or rough-tipped granules.   Comments. The typelocality and the earliest known collected specimens for this species were from the western Indian Oceanin the waters around Madagascarfrom  1600–2000 mdepths with a subsequent specimen discovered from New Caledoniafrom  2160 m( Mah 2006). This species was originally distinguished from  Circeasterspp.by its elongate arms and by both series of marginal plates bearing prominent conical spines. As indicated below, it bears a strong resemblance with  Atheraster symphonia  n. sp.in sharing the presence of sharp spines on the superomarginal and inferomarginal plates. The individuals observed herein did not show granulation on the abactinal surface plates as they would on  A. symphonia  n. sp. Individuals imaged during the CAPSTONE expedition are the first members of this species observed  in situand indicate a widespread occurrence for this species from the Indian Ocean to the North Pacific. Individuals from Salmon Bank in the Hawaiian Islands ( Fig. 8C, D) and Rose Atollin American Samoa( Fig. 8E) were observed feeding on isidid octocorals (commonly known as bamboo corals) in a manner typical of other goniasterid octocoral predators with the coral stalk engulfed within the ambulacral furrow and covered by tube feet and the extended pyloric stomach with absent polyps below the animal as it was climbing up the stalk.  Occurrence: Hawaiian Islands,  American Samoaregion, New Caledonia, Madagascar, 1600–2439 m.  Images Examined long armed morph. Salmon Bank, Hawaiian Islands, 26.81819568, -176.3150506,  1949 m. EX1504L2_IMG_ 20150811 T222348Z_ ROVHD_ASRAUD.jpg  short armed morph. Salmon Bank, Hawaiian Islands, 26.81694605, -176.315139,  2007 m. EX1504L2_IMG_20150811 T205435Z_ ROVHD_COR_ ASR_EATING.jpg (feeding on Isididae)   Karin Ridge, Hawaiian Islands, 16.143169, -167.8556648,  1967 m EX1504L4_IMG_20150922 T200931Z_ ROVHD_ ASR.jpg   Rose Atoll, American Samoa, -14.53758332, -168.080719,  2439 m. ( Fig. 8E) EX1702_IMG_20170218 T234059Z_ ROVHD.jpg (feeding on Isididae) Madagascar 1800 western Indian Ocean 25 26 1 ROVHD 1949 26.818195 Salmon Bank 1 -176.31505 Hawaiian Islands 25 26 EX1504, T222348 1 ROVHD, ASR 2007 26.816946 Salmon Bank 1 -176.31514 Hawaiian Islands 25 26 EX1504, T205435 1 ROVHD, ASR 1967 16.14317 Karin Ridge 1 -167.85567 Hawaiian Islands 25 26 EX1504, T200931 1 ROVHD American Samoa 2439 -14.537583 Rose Atoll 1 -168.08072 25 26 EX1702, T234059 1 Rose Island