Phanogenia typica Lovén, 1866

Phanogenia typica Lovén, 1866 View in CoL

Phanogenia typica Lovén, 1866:230 (fig. a–h), 231–233; Carpenter, 1879:20; Messing, 1998b:202–206 (figs. 3, 4); Messing & Tay, 2016:636–638 (fig. 6).

Comaster multifida : (part) A.H. Clark, 1931:412, 413–430, pl. 46 (fig. 140).

Actinometra gracilis Hartlaub, 1890:170 , 187.

Comaster gracilis: A.H. Clark, 1908c: 686 ; 1931:412, 430–435, pl. 47 (figs. 143, 144); A.M. Clark & Rowe, 1971:16; Macurda & Meyer, 1980:63, 67, 69, 70 (fig. 4h), 72, 73 (fig. 6h), 81–82; Zmarzly, 1984:109 et seq.; 1985:342, 246, 348, 349 (fig. 5A, B), 350 (fig. 6A, C); Kogo, 1998:24–25; Messing, 1998a:189.

Comaster multifidus: A.M. Clark & Rowe, 1971:15 (fig. 4a), 16; Macurda & Meyer, 1980:63, 67, 82–83; Zmarzly, 1985:342, 348, 349 (fig. 5C), 350 (fig. 6B); Kogo, 1998:23–24; Messing, 1998a:189.

Phanogenia minima A.H. Clark, 1909g:392 ; 1931:435–436, pl. 52 (figs. 155, 156).

Phanogenia gracilis: Messing, 1998b:206 ; Owen et al., 2009:1517 et seq.

Material examined.— Eastern reef of Kavaratti I., 10°33.832’N, 72°39.067’E, 18 m, 17 Jan 2018, Mohammed Nowshad and Abdul Riyas, colls. (2, MTRLDST E0222, E0223).

Diagnosis.— A species of Phanogenia with centrodorsal small, either stellate or pentagonal; cirri absent or ≤10 rudimentary buds (0–3 per radial area); IBr2 apparently united by close synarthry; IIBr series 2 or 4(3+4); follow- ing brachitaxes chiefly 2(1+2); up to ~150 arms; arms of similar length or anterior arms longer, to 310 mm; arms detach easily; pinnule combs present to P5–P8 and at intervals thereafter; combs often helically coiled; P1 comb with ~10–29 teeth; texture extremely sticky/adhesive due to numerous fine spines on pinnules; color pattern usually including at least a broken dark aboral arm stripe. (modified from Messing, 1998b; Messing & Tay, 2016).

Description of survey specimens ( Figure 2F View FIGURE 2 ).— Both specimens with centrodorsal small, pentagonal, depressed below surface of radials; cirri lacking; narrow subradial clefts present; radials smooth, the five together forming a rounded pentagon; aboral surface of each radial convex from proximal to the distal margin; bases of adjacent rays separated by V-shaped gaps; IIBr series chiefly 4(3+4); IIBr2 on one ray; following brachitaxes chiefly 2(1+2); IIbr1 and IIax2 joined by tight synarthry with a weak mid-aboral dimple; I and IIBr series strongly flattened aborally; adjacent IIBr series separated interiorly by narrow Y-shaped gap; IIBr4(3+4) series with IIbr1 large, united interiorly except distally. MTRLDST E0222: 52 arms, 200 mm long; centrodorsal 2.0 mm across. MTRLDST E0223: ~48 arms, 180 mm long; many arms exhibiting multiple regenerations; centrodorsal 1.9 mm across. Color: bright orange-brown with darker brown, broken, midaboral arm stripe flanked on both sides by paler blotch; pinnules beaded orange-brown and white.

Habitat: The specimens were found in a crevice.

Distribution.— From Lakshadweep in the west to Kwajalein Atoll and Fiji in the east, including Maldive Is., southern India ( Tamil Nadu), Andaman Islands, and Palau, and from northern Australia (distribution limits here unclear as records include Australian endemic Comaster multifidus ) north to Okinawa, Japan (A.H. Clark, 1931; A.M. Clark, 1972; Rowe & Gates, 1995; Kogo, 1998; Messing, 2007, Sastry, 2007; Messing & Tay, 2016). Depth range: shoreline to at least 55 m. (In A.H. Clark (1931), the 91 m recorded for Port Walcott, WA, may be Comaster multifidus ; the 216 m recorded for Comaster minima is most likely erroneous.)

Remarks.— This species is recorded for the first time from Lakshadweep waters. It was recorded previously from ANI as Comaster multifidus , and as C. gracilis from ANI and Tamil Nadu ( Sastry, 2007). Phanogenia typica was described from one specimen collected at Singapore and was long treated as a junior synonym of Comaster multifidus ( Müller, 1841) , with which it shares a reduced centrodorsal (e.g., A. H. Clark, 1931; Zmarzly, 1985; Messing, 1998b, 2007; Sastry, 2007). Messing (1998b) resurrected Phanogenia from synonymy, recognized Comaster multifidus as an Australian endemic, and maintained a distinction between P. typica and P. gracilis on the basis of differences in their numbers of pinnule comb teeth: up to 29 on P1 and rarely <10 on other pinnules in the holotype of P. typica , but only up to 16 teeth on P1 (10–12 on specimens similar to the P. typica holotype) and almost always <10 on other pinnules on specimens attributed to P. gracilis from Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia and Micronesia. However, Messing and Tay (2016) found otherwise identical long- and short-combed specimens on the same reefs at Singapore and considered P. gracilis a junior synonym of P. typica , a treatment followed here.