Astropecten cingulatus Sladen 1883

In Panama this species has been collected from northeast of Colon Island (USNM E18416, Centroid Latitude: 9.45833, Centroid Longitude: -82.21167), Caribbean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, by the R. V. Pillsbury from a depth of 91 - 97 m.

Clark, A.M. (1989). An index of names of recent Asteroidea, part 1: Paxillosida and Notomyotida, in: Jangoux, M.; Lawrence, J.M. (Ed.) (1989). Echinoderm Studies, 3: pp. 225-34.

Clark, A. M. & Downey, M. E. (1992). Starfishes of the Atlantic. Chapman & Hall Identification Guides, 3. Chapman & Hall: London, UK. ISBN 0-412-43280-3. xxvi, 794 pp.

Döderlein, L. (1926). Ueber Asteriden aus dem Museum von Stockholm. Kungl. Svenska Vetenskapsakademiens Handlingar, Tredje Serien, Band 2, No. 6. 22 pp, 4 pls.

World Asteroidea Database

LSID urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:178648

Astropecten antares Döderlein, 1926
Astropecten inermis de Loriol, 1899 (Synonym)
Astropecten mesactus Studer, 1884 (Synonym according to Bernasconi (1958))
Astropecten rubidus de Loriol, 1899 (Synonym)

Astropecten cingulatus Sladen

Astropecten cingulatus Sladen, 1889:218, pl. 35: figs. 5, 6, pl. 39: figs. 1–3.–Verrill, 1915:178.–Bernasconi, 1941:42, pl. 7: figs. 1–2; 1958a:130–131, pl. 3: figs. 1–2; 1961:22, pl. 1: fig. 2; 1966:161–162.–Engel and Schoevers, 1960:3.–Tommasi, 1970:5, fig. 16.

This compact five-armed species has a relatively small paxillar area. The paxillar area on the arms is less than half the width of the massive superomarginals, and somewhat sunken below them. The paxillae are high and, on the arms, flattened longitudinally. They are compact on the disc, less so on the arms. They have 1–3 central granules and 7–11 peripheral clavate spinules. The superomarginals are massive and tumid and encroach quite far on the dorsal surface; they are covered with granules, those on the outer half of the plate usually larger than those on the inner half (but sometimes the other way around). The channels between the plates are bordered with many fine setiform spinules. The inferomarginals project very slightly beyond the superomarginals and bear three flattened marginal spines of moderate length. Below, the plates are bare, save for a few acute spinules. The adambulacral plates bear 3 or 4 furrow spines parallel to the furrow, the central one large, sturdy, and curving slightly inward toward the furrow.

The actinal face of the plate bears one long acute tapering spine, and, usually, 1–3 tiny spinelets. The mouth plates are small and narrow, covered with spinules, and with a cluster of small, blunt oral spines. The madreporite is very small, round, covered with deep gyri, and almost touching the interradial marginals.

The depth range of this species in this collection is 30–50 fathoms, and all are from the Gulf of Mexico. The range is Cape Hatteras to Brazil.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.–Oregon Stations: 1495, (2) [R=31 mm, r=10 mm, Rr=1.3]; 2, (1) [R=8 mm, r=5 mm, Rr=1:1.5]; 102 (3) [R=55 mm, r=10 mm, Rr=1:5]; 123 (3) [R=50 mm, r=10 mm, Rr=1.5], Silver Bay Station 2432, (1) [R=23 mm, r=8 mm, Rr=1:3].

Astropecten nitidus Verrill

Astropecten nitidus Verrill, 1915:179, pl. 10: fig. 2.–Gray, Downey, and Cerame-Vivas, 1968:145, fig. 17.

Astropecten nitidus forcipatus Verrill, 1915:180, pl. 16: fig. 3, pl. 20: fig. 1.

The five arms of this species are long, narrow, and tapered very little. The paxillar areas are narrow, about the width of the superomarginals, and the paxillae are in regular transverse rows on the arms. The paxillae have 1–9 blunt central spinules, and 6–15 peripheral ones, also blunt. The superomarginal plates are higher than broad, not forming high sides to the arms but encroaching quite far on the dorsal surface. They are covered with numerous, small, flattened granules and, around the edge, with many fine spinules. The inferomarginal plates extend beyond the superomarginals and each bears two long, acute, slightly curved marginal spines, appressed to the arm and directed upward and distad. Below, they bear a few long, slender, acute spines and some fine tiny spinules. The adambulacral plates have three subequal, flattened furrow spines and behind them are two groups of smaller spines or one group of spines and a large conical pedicellaria. There is a single row of actinal interradial plates, not extending beyond the first inferomarginals, which are usually armed with either a large conical pedicellaria or a group of small spines. The short narrow jaws are covered with small spines and spinules and bear at their apex a pair of flattened oral spines, with a group of shorter flattened spines behind them. The madreporite, located very near the border, is tiny and concealed by paxillae.

Verrill (1915) distinguished a variety which he called Astropecten nitidus forcipatus; it is by no means a subspecies, as it varies from the species only in number of pedicellariae (a very unstable character in astropectinids) and its vertical and horizontal ranges fall well within the limits for the species. The range of this species is from Cape Hatteras to the Gulf of Mexico, in 20–200 fathoms.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.–Oregon Stations: 1514 (1) [R=15 mm, r=4 mm, Rr=1:4]. 5913 (2); 4928 (1); 6699 (1) [R=38 mm, r=7 mm, Rr=1:5]; 4398 (12); 1890 (1) [R=27 mm, r=6 mm, Rr=1:4]. Alaminos Station 20/65-A-9 (5) [R=40 mm, r=9 mm, Rr=1:4]. Silver Bay Station 2453 (1) [R=33 mm, r=7 mm, Rr=1:5]. Combat Station 180 (1).

Other Species of Astropecten Not Taken in These Collections

Of the four other Astropectens reported from the area included in this report, the most puzzling “absentee” from this collection is A. nuttingi Verrill, 1915. This common species ranges from North Carolina to Florida, in depths of 90–225 fathoms. It somewhat resembles A. americanus, but the shape is more regularly stellate, with broader arms and a wide paxillar area. The superomarginals bear 1 or 2 small spines on the upper side, and the paxillae are stellate.

A. alligator Perrier, 1881a, may be the same species, but Perrier’s description is not clear, and I have not had an opportunity to examine the type. The same is true of A. richardi Perrier, 1876b, which may possibly be a synonym of A. articulatus, and A. antillensis Lutken, 1859, which Verrill believed to be a local variety of A. duplicatus and H. L. Clark considered a synonym of A. marginatus. Also, A. ciliatus Grube, 1857, is probably a junior synonym of A.marginatus; it has been reported from Puerto Rico, which is in the known range of A. marginatus.

Psilaster Sladen

Psilaster Sladen, 1885:611. [Type, by original designation, Astropecten andromeda Muller and Troschel.]

Phidiaster Koehler, 1909a:28. [Type, by monotypy, P. agassizi Koehler.]

Superomarginals massive, unarmed, encroaching far onto dorsal surface, covered with granules or scales; two series of spines or spinules behind furrow series on adambulacral plates; paxillae rather crowded, at least on disc; inferomarginal spines usually appressed to arm; actinal interradial area of moderate size, its plates covered with spinules; fascioles quite shallow; madreporite small.

The genus is distributed worldwide, in moderately deep waters. These starfishes, like most astropectinids, feed mainly on small molluscs.

Known from seamounts and knolls