Anthenoides piercei Perrier

Anthenoides piercei Perrier

Anthenoides piercei Perrier, 1881a:23; 1884:168, 170, 184, 247–248, pl. 8: fig. 1; 1894:38.–A. Agassiz, 1888; fig. 379.–Sladen, 1889:326, pl. 756.–Verrill, 1915:113, pl. 3: fig. 2, pl. 10: figs. 1–1b, 2–2f.–Fisher, 1919:328, 331, 332.–H. L. Clark, 1941:49.–John and Clark, 1954:139.–A. H. Clark, 1954:375.

The general form is stellate, with a large disc and five short, narrow arms. The entire animal is covered by a thick membrane, full of small scattered granules, which obscures the plates. The plates are in regular rows, and small secondary plates separate the carinal and adradial rows on the disc and for a short distance out on the arm. The large single papular pores extend in regular rows from the disc center to two-thirds the length of the arm. A broad, triangular interradial area on the disc is without papulae; the plates in this area are conspicuously larger than other abactinal plates near the center of the disc. The disc dorsum is decidedly inflated.

The superomarginal plates are of moderate size, conspicuous, and square to wider than long, and unarmed. The two series of marginals correspond, more or less, and form together a vertical ambitus. Eight to ten pairs of distal superomarginals are medially contiguous. The lateral and actinal faces of the inferomarginals form an abrupt angle, the actinal face being quite plane and flat. They are covered with granules and bear, on the angled edge, one to several short flattened truncate spines or a group of enlarged granules. The actinal intermediate areas are large. Actinal plates are large, polygonal, and tumid; they are covered with rounded granules, those in the center of some plates being quite coarse. The adambulacral plates bear a furrow series of 6–8 long, slender spines; there is a naked area between these and the subambulacral series, which consists of two large and one or two small, thick, rather conical or truncate spines. The mouth plates are of moderate size and are swollen; the two halves are well separated. Each half bears a large apical spine and 8–10 marginal spines similar to those of the furrow series. Spines on the actinal face are similar to the subambulacrals. The madreporite is large, plane, and nearer the center than the margin; it is covered with coarse radiating gyri. Large bivalved pedicellariae occur on many of the actinal plates, and also frequently on some inferomarginals; smaller ones may occur on the abactinal surface. The oculars are small and inconspicuous. The color in life is orange to deep red abactinally, cream white actinally.

This species is known from Florida to Guyana, in 20–844 fathoms.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.–Oregon II Stations: 10353 (2) [R=82 mm, r=33 mm, Rr=1:2.5]; 10184 (2) [R=58 mm, r=24 mm, Rr=1:2.5]. Oregon Stations: 3608 (1) [R=82 mm, r=32 mm, Rr=1:2.5]; 4421 (1) [R=51 mm, r=22 mm, Rr=1:2.5]; station unknown (3) [R=83 mm, r=30 mm, Rr=1:2.5]; 6699 (1) [R=49 mm, r=16 mm, Rr=1:3 (abberrant specimen with unusually long arms and very few secondary abactinal plate)]; station unknown (1) [R=23 mm, r=10 mm, Rr=1:2.3]. 2027 (1) [R=27 mm, r=11 mm, Rr=1:2.5]; 6403 (1) [R=21 mm, r=8 mm, Rr=1:2.4]. Alaminos Station 20/65-A-9 (1) [R=57 mm, r=27 mm, Rr=1:2]. Silver Bay Stations: 281 (1) [R=51 mm, r=18 mm, Rr=1:3 (like the specimen from Oregon Station 6699)]; 2453 (1) [R=22 mm, r=9 mm, Rr=1:2.5].

Ceramaster Verrill

Ceremaster Verrill [Section C of Tosia], 1899:161. [Type, by subsequent designation, Asterias granularis Retzius (Fisher.1906:1054).]

Philonaster Koehler [subgenus], 1909b:74. [Type, by monotypy, Pentagonaster (Philonaster) mortenseni Koehler.]

Abactinal plates completely covered by granules; radial abactinal plates tabulate; peripheral granules distinct from central; usually no secondary abactinal plates (when present, confined to disc); no superambulacral ossicles; no internal radiating ossicles.

Only one species is known from the tropical and subtropical western Atlantic.