A new species of Astrosarkus from Western Australia including new Mesophotic occurrences of Indian Ocean Oreasteridae (Valvatida, Asteroidea)
Author
Mah, Christopher L.
text
Memoirs of Museum Victoria
2023
2023-09-25
82
143
165
http://dx.doi.org/10.24199/j.mmv.2023.82.08
journal article
10.24199/j.mmv.2023.82.08
1447-2554
12214383
Culcita
Agassiz 1836
Diagnosis.
Adults large with massive pentagonal, strongly arched body and confluent arms. Abactinal-lateral and actinolateral edges round, producing a nearly circular appearance. Marginal plate limits and body surface concealed by thickened, granule-invested dermis. Pore areas well developed but irregular to confluent. Actinal granules, granule-invested dermis dense, obscuring limits of the plates. Modified from Marsh and Fromont (2020).
Small individuals of
Culcita
are more flattened and pentagonal and appear more “goniasterid-like” (
Kano et al., 1991
).
Comments.
Culcita
includes three accepted species,
C. novaeguineae
,
C. coriacea
and
C. schmideliana
, known from Indo-Pacific, Red Sea and Indian Ocean habitats respectively.