Fromia Gray 1840

Mah, Christopher L., 2018, New genera, species and occurrence records of Goniasteridae (Asteroidea; Echinodermata) from the Indian Ocean, Zootaxa 4539 (1), pp. 1-116 : 35

Fromia Gray 1840

Gray 1840: 286; Fisher 1919: 373; H.L. Clark 1921: 38; Rowe & Gates 1995: 81; Mah & Foltz 2011: 771, 779, 782 (as Fromia ) A.M. Clark 1967: 193; Rowe & Gates 1995: 80 (as Celerina )

H.L. Clark 1921: 48; Rowe 1989: 291; Rowe & Gates 1995: 81 (as Austrofromia )

Diagnosis. Body strongly stellate (R/r=3.5–5.0), arms elongate, strap-like to triangular in shape. Interradial arcs acute. Arm rectangular in cross-section. Abactinal plates abutted, ranging ranging from flat to convex, covered with a distinct continuous cover of granules. Marginal plates broadly quadrate in outline forming discrete frame around abactinal-lateral outline of body. Marginal plate surface covered by continuous cover of granules Actinal region small, covered by granules. Papulae present between marginal and actinal plate contact. Furrow spines blunt, relatively few, with variable subambulacral armature.

Comments. Fromia nominally includes 16 species ( Mah & Hansson, 2011), many of which, such as Fromia milleporella , are commonly encountered and widely occurring throughout the Indo-Pacific region ( Clark and Rowe, 1971). A total of eight Fromia spp. are known to occur in the Indian Ocean (see Appendix 1). Although historically placed within the Ophidiasteridae (e.g. Clark & Rowe 1971; A.M. Clark 1993) molecular data has shown that Fromia is a member of the Goniasteridae ( Mah & Foltz 2011) . Other recent taxonomic adjustments (such as the synonymy of Austrofromia ) are mentioned below with the appropriate species.