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