Sphaeriodiscus mirabilis A.M. Clark 1976

Mah, Christopher L., 2018, New genera, species and occurrence records of Goniasteridae (Asteroidea; Echinodermata) from the Indian Ocean, Zootaxa 4539 (1), pp. 1-116 : 85

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4539.1.1

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:2C72727B-79C5-407F-BD92-B12F98196800

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5990841

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/193787A0-FFB6-FFCB-F4CB-FC3747C4CD35

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Sphaeriodiscus mirabilis A.M. Clark 1976
status

 

Sphaeriodiscus mirabilis A.M. Clark 1976 View in CoL

Figure 33 View FIGURE 33 A–E

A.M. Clark 1976: 248; Mah 2011: 44

Diagnosis. A species of Sphaeriodiscus identified by the presence of ten superomarginals, of which the penultimate plates are enlarged and strongly convex. Secondary plates are present, variably. Four or five furrow spines.

Comments. Larger specimens of this species from Madagascar are approximately the same size (R=7.0, r=4.5) as the type described by A.M. Clark (1976), but differ in having ten superomarginal plates per interradius versus eight in the holotype and four to five furrow spines versus the five listed by A.M. Clark. Of the two specimens representing this species, the dry specimen (IE-2013-6606, R= 7.5 cm) displays a substantially higher number of secondary plates ( Fig. 33D View FIGURE 33 ) on the abactinal surface compared to IE-2007-3988 which shows relatively fewer, these limited to the proximal disk region (R= 6.4 cm). However the wet specimen (IE=2007-3988) has demonstrates much more strongly convex penultimate superomarginals than IE-2013-6606 that are more consistent in size and shape with the other smaller superomarginals.

Consistent with A.M. Clark’s (1976) observation and based on deck shots of the Madagascar specimen, this species is a rich red-orange color.

Occurrence. Vicinity of St. Paul and Amsterdam Islands, South Atlantic (Bouvetoya Island and Tristan de Cunha), Madagascar 195–585

Material Examined. Madagascar. GoogleMaps IE-2013-6606 . Madagascar   GoogleMaps , 12°50’S, 48°9.1’ E, 580–585 m, Coll. A. Crosnier 14 Sept. 1972, 1 dry spec. R=7.5, r=5.3; IE-2007-3988 . Madagascar 26°08’S 45°40’E, 426 m, Coll GoogleMaps . ATIMO VATAE, N/O Nosy B e 11 DW 3554 . 1 wet spec. R=6.4 r=4.4

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