New Genera, Species and Occurrences of Deep-Sea Asteroidea (Valvatacea, Forcipulatacea, Echinodermata) collected from the North Pacific Ocean by the CAPSTONE Expedition
Author
Mah, Christopher L.
text
Zootaxa
2022
2022-07-12
5164
1
1
75
http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5164.1.1
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.5164.1.1
1175-5326
6821026
3BECB9C7-F4B5-4FA4-934B-1822BF3D1077
Bathyceramaster
Mah 2016a
Mah 2016a: 105
Diagnosis.
Abactinal plates tabulate, low to moderate in height with fasciolar grooves, variably shallow to well-developed, plates lacking stellate bases. Abactinal, marginal, actinal surfaces covered by densely arranged polygonal to round granules. Body stellate, many species with well-developed arms (R/ r=1.8–4.0).
Comments.
This genus was created to accommodate
Mediaster elegans
Ludwig 1905
, which lacked the stellate, radiating ossicles that are present in all species belonging to the genus
Mediaster
(Fisher 1911;
Mah 2016a
). The tabular plates and well developed fasciolar grooves were also not as well-developed in
Bathyceramaster
as they are in
Mediaster
. Known
Bathyceramaster
spp.
have only been reported from relatively deep-water settings, below
600 m
, primarily between
1000–4000 m
.
Based on the occurrence of known species,
Bathyceramaster
occurs widely throughout the Pacific in a manner similar to other deep-sea
Goniasteridae
, such as
Sibogaster
(
Mah 2016a
)
.