New Ecological Observations and Occurrence for Asteroidea and Echinoidea in Hong Kong Author Yiu, Sam King Fung 0000-0001-6212-7339 School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. cyclesamyiu @ hotmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0001 - 6212 - 7339 cyclesamyiu@hotmail.com Author Mah, Christopher L. 0000-0001-6212-7339 School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. cyclesamyiu @ hotmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0001 - 6212 - 7339 & Department of Invertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D. C. brisinga @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 0178 - 8237 & School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. cyclesamyiu @ hotmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0001 - 6212 - 7339 cyclesamyiu@hotmail.com text Zootaxa 2024 2024-10-22 5526 1 1 69 http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5526.1.1 journal article 10.11646/zootaxa.5526.1.1 1175-5334 14021526 987FAD00-32A7-4E38-AFAD-6EAC8D808FB2 Astropecten vappa Müller & Troschel 1843 FIGURE 32 FIGURE 32. Astropecten vappa . In situ observation . Photographer: Sam King Fung Yiu. Comments A species with a full series of single, prominent, conical spines present on each superomarginal plate, lacking the two prominent interradial spines and the absent spines on the post-interradial plates. Liao & Clark (1995) show this species as present in the Hong Kong region. A recent account of this species was presented by Marsh & Fromont (2020) . Occurrence/Distribution Hong Kong , 3 m . Outside Hong Kong . Widespread throughout the Indo-Pacific. Southern China region, Taiwan , southern Japan , Sri Lanka to Indonesia , the Philippines , all coasts in Australia , 0–128 m . ( Marsh & Fromont 2020 ) .