Chitonaster felli H.E.S. Clark 1971

• Main Author: Mah, Christopher L.
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: unknown
• Published: Zenodo 2011
• Subjects: Biodiversity; Taxonomy; Animalia; Echinodermata; Asteroidea; Valvatida; Goniasteridae; Chitonaster; Chitonaster felli; Scotia Sea; South Orkney Islands
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6184331; http://treatment.plazi.org/id/03D28792FFC8FF9384E411BC686D83F3

Chitonaster felli (H.E.S. Clark, 1971) (Figure 5 A–D) H.E.S. Clark, 1971: 546; A.M. Clark, 1993: 275 (as Pentoplia ) Distribution. South Atlantic-Scotia Sea region near South Georgia /South Orkney Islands. 2355–3714 m. Comments. The type specimen for this species, as designated by H.E.S. Clark (1971) was apparently never deposited in the USNM collections. An unsuccessful search for the holotype of Pentoplia felli was undertaken at the TePapa museum and in the collections of the National Institute of Water and Atmosphere in Wellington, New Zealand and the holotype could not be located. However, several original paratype specimens have recently been discovered, suggesting the possibility that the holotype may still be extant. Thus, designation of a neotype is considered premature until a complete search can be performed. Distinctions from other species. Chitonaster felli shares several characters with C. johannae , including clustered spines on superomarginal and abactinal plates, the presence of transverse arm plates, and a similar triangular arm and large disk body shape. Chitonaster felli is distinguished by the autapomorphic large and distinctively shaped pedicellariae present in each actinal interradial region. However, other then this large actinal pedicellariae, C. felli lacks pedicellariae on other body surfaces. Chitonaster johannae possess enlarged and valvate pedicellariae on the actinal interradial and abactinal body surfaces that are similar but not identical to those pedicellariae on C. felli . Chitonaster felli and C. johannae are maintained herein as separate, but given that these two species are distinguished by only one or two characters but share at least four characters. These shared characters suggest that additional specimens and understanding of further morphological variation, could show C. felli is a synonym of C. johannae . However for now, the characters show distinctiveness and support discontinuity between species. Material examined. USNM 1018660 PARATYPE. Southwest of South Georgia ...