Stellasteropsis fouadi Dollfus 1936

Mah, Christopher L., 2018, New genera, species and occurrence records of Goniasteridae (Asteroidea; Echinodermata) from the Indian Ocean, Zootaxa 4539 (1), pp. 1-116 : 94-95

Stellasteropsis fouadi Dollfus 1936

Figure 35 A–E

Dollfus 1936: 151; Clark & Rowe 1971: 32, 48 (as Stellasteropsis fouadi )

Gosliner et al. 1996: 253 (as Stellaster childreni )

Lectotype Designation. Because Dollfus’ (1936) original description was based on three syntypes. I have designated IE-2014-623 as the lectotype with IE- 2014-49 and IE-2013-12583 cataloged for the remaining paralectoypes.

Diagnosis. A species showing variable body shape, variably R/r=2.0–3.9 and lacking any tubercles or other primary spination or armament on the abactinal and marginal plates.

Comments. New specimens have been discovered greatly expand geographic range and understanding of morphological variation as based on type specimens from Suez Bay. The original specimens display broad arms that taper distally, with the carinal plate series extending from approximately midway along the arm to the tip and broadly curved interradii. This morphology is most similar to specimens from Somalia and South Africa. Individuals from Madagascar appear to be notably different in that for approximately the same size (R=4.0–5.0 cm), arms are very elongate with a narrow arm base and a moderately curved interradius relative to the type morphology, in which arm elongation is developed distally; types have a broader arm base and a more broadly curved interradius. This morphotype, displaying elongate arms was also observed among smaller individuals of the South African specimens (R<4.5 cm). Spination, which was observed on one of the Madagascar specimens from Mitsio, Madagascar, appears variable.

Gosliner et al. (1996: 253) presented a deep-orange/brick red species identified as Stellaster childreni imaged from Sodwana Bay, Natal, South Africa. The species figured lacks the distinctive paddle-shaped inferomarginal spines present in S. childreni but does show the tapering arms and the plate patterns characteristic of Stellasteropsis fouadi specimens from this region. This is the first image of this species with living color.

New Caledonia Occurrence. A single specimen of what appears to be a relatively small (R=2.2) individual of this species was identified from New Caledonia, it is being treated cautiously because it is the first of this genus to be recorded from beyond the Indian Ocean, a distribution that could parallel the broad range distribution of Calliderma emma or in a longitudinal band, such as Kanakaster , see above.

The specimen (IE-2013-6771) is similar to “long-armed” variants of Stellasteropsis fouadi with a single row of elongate carinal plates extending along the midradius of the arm. Also characteristic of Stellasteropsis is the absence of other spination or accessories on the adambulacral plate surface.

Occurrence. New Caledonia, Gulf of Suez (Red Sea), Off Northeast coast of Somalia, Madagascar, East coast of South Africa, 36–155 m.

Description. Body stout, stellate to strongly stellate (R/r=2.0–3.9), arms triangular, variably broad to elongate, sharply tapering at tips. Interradial arcs curved. Disk arched. Abactinal, marginal and actinal surface covered by continuous granular cover, approximately five to eight along a 1.0 mm line.

Abactinal plates abutted, hexagonal to irregularly polygonal, variably extending along arm to arm tip or terminating where superomarginals abut over mid-radius. Carinal series wide or elongate, in a single series along arm. Tubercles/spines absent on abactinal surface. Superomarginal periphery wide, strongly trapezoidal in outline interadially becoming more quadrate distally. Spines/tubercles absent from marginal plates. Adambulacral plates with furrow spines, five to seven per plate, blunt tipped in straight to weakly curved series. Remainder of adambulacral plate surface variably with either granules consistent with others on actinal surface or with slightly larger granules, widely spaced from one another.

Color in life based on the image of “ Stellaster childreni ” in Gosliner et al. (1996) is a solid orange with darker red adradial bands adjacent to the carinal series on the abactinal surface.

Material Examined. Suez Gulf/Red Sea. Lectotype IE-2014-623 Suez Gulf, 29°28’30–29° 35 N., 32°40– 32°39’E. 19–33 m. Found on coralline sand among sponges, sea cucumbers and urchins. 1 dry spec. Paralectotypes IE- 2014-49 Suez Gulf , 29°28’30–29° 35 N., 32°40– 32°39’E. 19– 33 m. Found on coralline sand among sponges, sea cucumbers and urchins. 2 dry specimens . IE-2013-12583 Suez Bay, opening south of canal. Coll. R. Dollfus. (1 dry spec. R=3.6, r=1.3). Somalia . USNM E53622 Off NE coast of Somalia 9°36’N, 51°0’E, 78– 82 m. Coll. R. Gooding aboard R/ V Anton Bruun 3 dry specs. (R= 6.0, r=2.1; R=4.5, r=1.4; R=3.6, r=1.2) ; USNM E53620 Off NE coast of Somalia 11°37’N, 51°27’E, 67–72 m, Coll. R. Gooding aboard R/ V Anton Bruun, 2 dry specs. (R=3.6, r=1.2; R=~6.0, r=2.0, arms broken) ; USNM E53643 Off NE coast of Somalia, 10°04’N, 50°57’E, 36 m, Coll. G.Small & J. Small, aboard R/ V Beinta 2 dry specs. (R=3.6, r=1.3; R=3.4, r=1.2) .

Madagascar. IE-2007-1036 Sud du Cap Saint-Sébastien, Madagascar 12°37’03S, 48°30.3’E, 60 m. (8 wet specs R=4.6, r=1.0; R=5.4, r=1.4; R=5.1, r=1.3, R=3.9, r=0.9;R=3.1, r=0.7; R=2.8, r=0.7, R=1.6, r=0.3;R=1.7, r=0.4) ; IE-2007-1045 Sud du Cap Saint-Sébastien, Madagascar 12°37’64 S, 25°99’E, 63 m. (4 wet specs R=4.2, r=1.0; R=2.8, r=0.6; R=1.7, r=1.6, R=1.5, r=0.4) . IE-2013-12596 , Madagascar , Mitsio coast, 65 m. CH 110 , “ Twin 59” Coll. A. Crosnier (1 dry spec. R=4.7, r=1.2) ; IE-2013-12595 Madagascar, Tsimipaika Bay , 35 m, “Ch. 2, Mame 59” Coll. A. Crosnier (1 dry spec. R=5.1, r=1.2) ; IE-2013-6731 Nosy Bé region, St. 11 bis, 9 March 1968 Coll. Plante 1 dry spec. R=2.8, r=0.7. South Africa. Iziko MB-A 081519, off Dog Pond, east coast South Africa , 27°11.9’S, 32°50.2’E, 80 m, Coll. G. Williams aboard R/V Sardinops ZD 5. (1 wet spec. R= 4.6, r=1.7); Iziko MB- A 081518 Off Matigulu Buff, east coast South Africa , 29°19.7’S, 31°54.4’E, 70 m, Coll. G. Williams , ZR 2 (1 wet spec. R=3.9, r=1.2); Iziko MB-A 081520, Mouth of the Kosi River , east coast South Africa , 26°56’S, 32°54.7’E, 50 m, Coll. G. Williams , ZA 2 (1 wet spec. R=2.3, r=0.8); Iziko MB-A 081515. Zululand, off Leven Point, Coll. Natal Museum, RV Meiring Naude , 9 June 1988 . JAMOC LP _1_ME_2008 (1 wet spec. R=3.7, r=1.3). New Caledonia . IE-2013-6771 . South New Caledonia 22°37.8’S, 167°9.7’E, 124 m. Coll. Bouchet & Richer , ORSTOM aboard N/O Alis. BATHUS 2 DW 714 . R=2.2, r=0.6 . Thailand (Andaman Sea). USNM E47940 Phuket Island, Malay Peninsula , Andaman Sea , 7°41’N, 97°59’E, 155 m, Coll. R / V Anton Bruun. 1 dry spec. (R=2.4, r=0.8) .

Figures

FIGURE 35. Stellasteropsis fouadi Lectotype, IE-2014-623.R=51.5 r=1.8 cm. A. Abactinal surface. Scale bar=1.0 cm. B. Closeup of interradial paired plates and other surface detail. Scale bar=0.5 cm. C. Arm and superomarginal plate details. Scale bar=1.0 cm. D. Actinal plate surface. Scale bar=1.0 cm. E. Oral and furrow spine region. Scale bar=0.5 cm.