New Taxa and Occurrences of Mesophotic and Deep-sea Goniasteridae (Valvatida, Asteroidea) from Okinawa and adjacent regions Author Mah, Christopher L. 0000-0002-0178-8237 Department of Invertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D. C. USA Author Kogure, Yoichi 0009-0009-9935-8208 Fisheries Resources Institute, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, 1 - 5939 - 22 Suido-cho, Chuo, Niigata, Niigata 951 - 8121, Japan kogure_yoichi52@fra.go.jp Author Fujita, Toshihiko 0000-0003-0334-1794 Department of Zoology, National Museum of Nature and Science, 4 - 1 - 1 Amakubo, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305 - 0005, Japan fujita@kahaku.go.jp Author Higashiji, Takuo 0009-0004-2557-0023 Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, 424 Ishikawa, Motobu, Okinawa 905 - 0206, Japan t-higashiji@okichura.jp text Zootaxa 2024 2024-01-18 5403 1 1 41 http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5403.1.1 journal article 10.11646/zootaxa.5403.1.1 1175-5326 10561570 A9E9D993-74C3-49CC-9202-DB1132EEF113 Calliaster Gray 1840 ( Calliaster “group”) Mah 2018: 17 (full synonymy) Diagnosis A highly variable goniasterid group whose primary characters include the presence of one to several enlarged subambulacral spines present in transverse series, enlarged conical pointed spines present on abactinal, marginal and actinal plates. Abactinal, marginal and actinal plate surfaces bare and smooth. Marginal plates form a prominent abactinal border in most genera but this varies among species (and see taxonomic notes below). Body stellate to strongly stellate with known occurrence only in the Indo-Pacific. Comments A full summary of the taxonomic status of Calliaster and related genera was outlined by Mah (2018 , 2022 ). Species in this genus are variable and boundaries between species concepts is difficult. Unpublished specimen records indicate that there are likely many more species than are known.