Cryptopeltaster, FISHER, 1905

Mah, Christopher, Nizinski, Martha & Lundsten, Lonny, 2010, Phylogenetic revision of the Hippasterinae (Goniasteridae; Asteroidea): systematics of deep sea corallivores, including one new genus and three new species, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 160 (2), pp. 266-301 : 276-278

CRYPTOPELTASTER FISHER, 1905

Fisher, 1905: 311; 1911: 237; Spencer & Wright, 1966: U58; A.M. Clark, 1993: 251.

Codoceo & Andrade, 1981: 379 (as Criptopeltaster)

Type specimen: NEOTYPE: USNM E 33356, south of Santa Cruz Island, Channel Islands, California, 33°55′30′N, 119°41′30′W, 486 m, coll. USFC Albatross , 7.ii.1889.

Included species: Cryptopeltaster lepidonotus Fisher, 1905 ( Cryptopeltaster philipii is now a synonym of C. lepidonotus ).

Diagnosis, distribution, and characters: As per species.

CRYPTOPELTASTER LEPIDONOTUS FISHER, 1905

FIGURE 5A–E

Ludwig, 1905: 138 (as Hippasteria pacifica ) Fisher, 1905: 311; 1911: 237; Lambert, 1978a: 9; Maluf,

1988: 34, 118; Clark, 1992: 251 (as C. lepidonotus ) Codoceo & Andrade, 1981: 379 (as C. philippii ) Pawson & Ahearn, 2001: 42 (as Cryptopeltaster cf.

lepidonotus )

Occurrence: Chile to Aleutian Islands (Alaska), including records from Rodriguez Seamount, Santa Cruz, California and British Columbia 188–1244 m.

Material examined: CASIZ 108628 , Monterey , CA off Point Sur, 914.0 m (500 fms), coll. M. Eric Anderson, 7.vi.1977 (1 wet spec. R = 4.4, r = 1.7) ; CASIZ 11828 , Oregon, off the coast, 47°15′N, 124°53′W, 188–216 m, coll. Roger N. Clark aboard R/V Miller Freeman, 22.x.1996 (1 dry spec. R = 13.1, r = 5.2) ; USNM 1129943 , Rodriguez Seamount , 34°2′N, 121°4′W, 667.3 m, coll. D. Clague, on board ROV Tiburon, 29.iv.2004 (1 wet spec. R = 9.6, r = 6.1) ; USNM E47396 , Washington, north-west of Grays Harbor , 47°10′N, 124°57′W, 195–242 m, coll . R. N. Clark on board R/V Miller Freeman, 22.x.1996 (2 dry specs. R = 9.8, r = 3.8; R = 10.8, r = 4.8) ; USNM E51296 , North of Seymour Island, Galapagos Islands , 00°21′S, 90°15′W, 599 m (1964 ft), coll. C. Baldwin & J. McCosker, Johnson Sea Link II, 26.vii.1998 (1 wet spec. R = 8.1, r = 3.5) .

Description: R: r = 2.3–2.6, arms triangular, disk broad.

Abactinal surface covered by large, coarse, flat, angular granules, densely abutting around spines and pedicellariae. Abactinal plates largest proximally becoming smaller distally adjacent to contact with superomarginal plate series. Spines conical, present, large, numerous on abactinal surface with granules forming flattened, angular skirt around each spine base. Spines or pointed granules present on nearly every abactinal plate, especially those on radial regions, but are nearly absent distally on regions adjacent to superomarginal series. Pedicellariae large (length equivalent to about seven to nine granules), bivalved. Secondary plates present sometimes covered by granules, one or two, similar to others.

Marginal plates, 40–55 per inter-radius (from terminal to terminal), each covered with granules, densely arranged polygonal, quadrate to angular in shape. Number of marginal plates increases as adult size increases. Granules number 20–30 around each marginal plate periphery forming convex contact with abactinal and actinal surfaces. Granules on central marginal plate surfaces number 20–40. Granules, smooth, angular in outline, flattened to convex and often with a pointed tip, distributed evenly throughout surface. Spines, one to three (typically one), short, conical to tubercular present at lower end of each superomarginal plate adjacent to contact with inferomarginal plates. Spines present on inferomarginals inter-radially, becoming lower and more tubercular distally along arms. Granules becoming more flush with others distally on arms.

Actinal intermediate areas covered with similar flattened, closely abutting, angular granules, almost all with spines or tubercles. Spines, conical single and prominent, on each actinal intermediate plate number highest proximal to mouth. Spines, smaller and disappearing distally (adjacent to inferomarginal plate contact). Large bivalve pedicellariae (length about 3.0 mm each) in a distinct linear series adjacent to adambulacral plate series, each surrounded by 11–15 angular granules. Approximately five to seven chevrons of actinal plates per inter-radius.

Adambulacral plates primarily occupied by two to three (primarily three) furrow spines per plate, but a large bivalve or trivalve pedicellariae will replace these spines on the first postoral adambulacral plate and irregularly if infrequently on the furrow spines. Furrow spines thick, club-shaped and round in cross-section. Each paired oral plate with six to eight angular granules along median axis but with four to six granules covering remaining oral plate surface. Furrow spines, three to four on each oral plate. Spine, thickened, oblong in cross-section on the surface of each oral plate facing into the mouth.

Holotype: The original holotype for this species has been lost (C. G. Ahearn, pers. comm., 2007). A neotype ( USNM 33356 ) from part of Fisher’s original voucher series, collected near to the original type locality is herein designated as its replacement. Codoceo & Andrade (1981) were the last authors to refer to the holotype of C. lepidonotus .

Synonymy of C. philippii : A new Chilean species, Cryptopeltaster philippii was described by Codoceo & Andrade (1981) who distinguished C. philippii from C. lepidonotus on the basis of fewer pedicellariae on the body surface, an undivided madreporite, and fewer supero- and inferomarginal plates per interradius. Cryptopeltaster from the Galapagos (USNM E51296 ) corresponds to this description ( Pawson & Ahearn, 2001).

These characters fail to differentiate between these two species and strongly support the synonymy of C. philippii into C. lepidonotus . Based on the greater number of specimens available, it is determined that the characters vary across the range of the genus and amongst differently sized individuals. Pedicellariae number is variable across different individuals and does little to differentiate between any two specimens. The madreporite was atypically divided by a seam in the holotype ( Fisher, 1911: pl. 47, fig. 1). Other specimens clearly show this to be unique to that specimen making this character individually variable and unhelpful as a diagnostic character. Finally, the number of marginal plates in Cryptopeltaster increases in larger specimens. The Galapagos specimen (USNM E51296 ) has approximately 42 marginal plates but is smaller (R = 8.1 cm) than specimens collected farther north. A small (R = 4.4 cm) specimen from off Point Sur, California, which otherwise corresponds to the description of C. lepidonotus , also had 42 marginal plates. Hippasteria pacifica Ludwig, 1905 from Mexico was synonymized with C. lepidonotus by Fisher (1911) and was represented by a smaller specimen (R = 4.8 cm) with approximately 40 marginal plates. Codoceo & Andrade (1981) did not include the size of the holotype, which is now apparently lost or unavailable (requests for material from the Museo Nacional de Historia Nautral in Santiago, Chile have gone unanswered).

‘ Cryptopeltaster lepidonotus ’ is misidentified in Imaoka et al. (1991). The species pictured in their monograph features the oval marginal plates characteristic of H. californica and other ‘ Nehippasteria ’ type hippasterines but absent in Cryptopeltaster . The polygonal granules, enlarged pedicellariae, and furrow spine replacement by pedicellariae are also absent from the specimen figured in their monograph.

Figures

Figure 5. Cryptopeltaster lepidonotus neotype USNM 33356. A, abactinal surface; B, close-up of pedicellariae and large angular granules; C, adambulacral furrow spines and bivalve pedicellariae. USNM E47396; D, lateral view showing superomarginal plate series; E, actinal surface showing furrow spines, pedicellariae, and actinal spines and granules. Scale bars: A, D, E = 5 mm; B = 4 mm; C = 3 mm.