Taxonomy of high-latitude Goniasteridae (Subantarctic & Antarctic): one new genus, and three new species with an overview and key to taxa
Author
Mah, Christopher L.
text
Zootaxa
2011
2759
1
48
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.276783
cbd0de37-eabb-43d6-bae2-ff7fe53daac6
1175-5326
276783
Ceramaster
Verrill, 1899
Tosia
(
Ceramaster
) Verrill, 1899: 161
Ceramaster
Fisher, 1906: 1054
; 1911: 162, 204; Verrill, 1914: 289; Koehler, 1924: 173; Mortensen, 1927: 80; Djakonov, 1950: 38;
Tortonese & A.M. Clark, 1956
: 347
;
Halpern, 1970b
: 62
; 1970c: 212; 1970: 62; Downey, 1973: 49;
McKnight, 1973
: 178
; Downey, 1973: 49;
A.M. Clark & Courtman-Stock, 1976
: 61
;
Clark & Downey, 1992
: 231
; Downey in
Clark & Downey, 1992
: 231
Philonaster
Koehler, 1909: 78
[
type
species
Pentagonaster
(
Philonaster
)
mortenseni
Koehler, 1909
]
Tosiaster
Verrill, 1914
Diagnosis.
(See comments below
). Body outline pentagonal in most (i.e., R/r=1.1 to 1.5) with some becoming more stellate. Abactinal plates tabulate, granules present on abactinal plates, marginals, actinal plates. Fasciolar grooves present among abactinal, marginal plates. Bare “patch” on dorsal facing of superomarginal plates.
Comments.
The genus
Ceramaster
includes 17 nominal species from the Arctic, Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans (
A.M. Clark, 1993
) but has never undergone a comprehensive, global revision.
Ceramaster
also displays morphological overlap with other similar goniasterid genera, such as
Peltaster
(
Clark and Downey, 1992
;
Halpern, 1970b
) which further confuses boundaries between the two genera and among species in each genus.
As
a consequence, it is unlikely that
Ceramaster
is monophyletic. Comprehensive diagnosis of
Ceramaster
is beyond the scope of the regional treatment here and so, only an abbreviated, functional definition of
Ceramaster
is outlined above.
Ceramaster
includes many nominal species, such as
Ceramaster patagonicus
,
Ceramaster grenadensis
, and
Ceramaster granularis
that display morphological intergradation with few discrete differences. For example, nominal
C. patagonicus
occurs in both the Northern and Southern Hemisphere, ranging from boreal waters in the North pacific to subantarctic waters in the South Pacific (
New Zealand
and southern
Australia
). This is a pattern similar to that of the goniasterid
Hippasteria
(
Mah et al, 2010
).
Revisionary efforts within
Ceramaster
have not met with universal acceptance.
Clark and Downey (1992)
presented
Ceramaster patagonicus
as a subspecies within the
C. grenadensis
species complex in contrast to
O’Hara (1998)
and
H.E.S. Clark & McKnight (2001)
who have argued
C. patagonicus
as a distinct complex of species.