New Australian deep-sea Goniasteridae (Asteroidea; Valvatacea)
In: Memoirs of Museum Victoria. Museum Victoria: Melbourne. ISSN 1447-2546; e-ISSN 1447-2554, more
|   |
| Abstract |
The deep-sea benthic fauna of Australia, especially asteroids found in depths greater than 1000 m, are poorly understood. Recent surveys have uncovered additional specimens that further illustrate the biodiversity of this largely understudied area. Two new genera and seven new species of Goniasteridae from deep-sea settings in Australian waters, including the South Pacific and Indian Ocean waters are described. A new genus, Alloceramaster was developed to accommodate not only the newly described species, but also other deep-sea species present in similar habitats from the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans. It addresses taxonomic shortcomings of Ceramaster, which has increasingly been used to accommodate other dissimilar species. Further occurrences of widespread deep-sea species, including Bathyceramaster teres, Litonotaster intermedius, Nymphaster moebi, and Sibogaster nieseni are also reported. |
|
