Paralophaster antarcticus

• Main Author: Mah, Christopher L.
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: unknown
• Published: Zenodo 2023
• Subjects: Biodiversity; Taxonomy; Animalia; Echinodermata; Asteroidea; Valvatida; Solasteridae; Paralophaster; Paralophaster antarcticus; Antarc*; antarcticus
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8090204; http://treatment.plazi.org/id/03C387E86609FFD8FF68E05582B4FD12

Paralophaster antarcticus (Koehler, 1912a) FIGURE 18A–F Lophaster antarcticus Koehler, 1912a: 46. Myoraster antarcticus Fisher 1940: 181; H.E.S. Clark 1963: 56 (synonym according to A.M. Clark 1962: 52). Paralophaster antarcticus A.M. Clark 1962: 52. Solaster incertus Koehler, 1917: 40. Paralophaster incertus A.M. Clark 1962: 50. Diagnosis Body stellate R/r= 2.5–4.0.Abactinal surface paxillate, each bearing 30–40 hyaline spinelets that forms a dense, canopy-like covering over surface, appearing “fuzzy” (Fig. 18A, B, D). Superomarginals with paxillae bearing dense spinelets, 20–40 (at R=13.0 cm), adjacent to inferomarginals, approximately twice the size of adjacent abactinal paxillae (Fig. 18D). Inferomarginal paxillae prominent, large 2 to 3 times the size of the superomarginals with elongate tips, 40–80, 40 per interradius, 20 per arm at R=2.0 cm, 60–80 at R=20.0 cm per interradius, 30–40 along each arm. Each paxilla with dense, numerous spinelets, 30–40. Furrow spines 4, then 3 along most of arm. Subambulacral spines 3 to 5, unwebbed (Fig. 18F). Comments Fisher’s (1940) most seemingly relevant character for Myoraster (= Paralophaster antarcticus ) was the presence of a longitudinal muscle band lying between the adambulacral and superomarginal plates and extending from the end of the ray to the interbrachial angle. A.M. Clark (1962) identified this muscle band in Lophaster antarcticus as well as Paralophaster godfroyi . The extent to which this character is functionally important is unclear, but ultimately A.M. Clark (1962: 52) did not find them to be of “generic importance” and synonymized Myoraster with Paralophaster . Gut contents of CASIZ 174645 contained disarticulated comatulid crinoid ossicles, which were identified as belonging to Florometra mawsoni , based on the presence of short spinelets around the edge of the columns. One specimen, among USNM 1418098 had six arms rather than the five present in most other specimens. What is Paralophaster incertus? While reviewing the high-latitude Paralophaster , ...