New species, corallivory, in situ video observations and overview of the Goniasteridae (Valvatida, Asteroidea) in the Hawaiian Region
Author
Mah, Christopher L.
text
Zootaxa
2015
3926
2
211
228
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.3926.2.3
72b7c211-b86b-4384-adc1-b4f253e1e41f
1175-5326
235780
39FE0179-9D06-4FC2-9465-CE69D79B933F
Calliderma emma
Gray, 1847
Fig. 2
A
Calliderma emma
Gray 1847: 193
; 1866: 6, pl. 15;
Perrier 1894
: 337
; Liao and Clark 1996: 93
Pentagonaster (Calliderma) emma
Perrier 1875
: 226
(1876: 41)
Calliderma spectabilis
Fisher 1906
: 1058
;
Chave and Malahoff 1998
: 86
; Liao and Clark 1996: 93;
Mah 1998
: 67
Taxonomic comments.
Liao and Clark (1995)
distinguished between
Calliderma spectabilis
Fisher 1906
and
C. emma
Gray 1847
on the basis of presence/absence of sharp spines on the radial abactinal plate regions (spines present on
C. spectabilis
).
Liao and Clark (1995)
argued that differences between the two species were slight and that the radial abactinal spines in
C. emma
were artefactually absent, thus removing the most significance difference between the two species. Examination of
C. emma
/
C. spectabilis
specimens, further supports their hypothesis that the two species are synonyms. Liao and Clark’s (1995) synonymy is adopted herein.
In situ
observations.
Although not observed feeding,
Calliderma
occurs widely and is a subject of some fossil study (e.g.,
Villier
et al.
2004
) and as such, its living
in situ
life mode is considered herein.
Calliderma emma
[called
C. spectabilis
by
Fisher (1906)
, see taxonomic note] is observed in many HURL images of the Hawaiian deep-sea benthos. All of the images observed show individuals on fine to coarse grained sediment in a diversity of current regimes (e.g.,
Fig. 4
A). None were observed on hard bottoms. Rays of this species were always splayed out on the bottoms with the arm tips upturned into the water. Only individual animals were observed in images reviewed with no other
C. emma
individuals present within the field of view. One image (M-211-036) showed
C. emma
in relatively close proximity (within
2 feet
/
1 meter
) distance to multiple aspidodiadematid echinoids but no interaction was evident (
Fig. 4
A).
Occurrence.
Hawaiian Islands,
China
, (near Hainan
Island
), Gulf of Carpentaria, northern
Australia
.
138–
387 m
.