Ceramaster Verrill, 1899

Ceramaster Verrill, 1899 View in CoL .

Tosia (Ceramaster) Verrill, 1899: 161

Ceramaster Fisher, 1906: 1054 View in CoL ; 1911: 162, 204; Verrill, 1914: 289; Koehler, 1924: 173; Mortensen 1927: 80; Djakonov, 1950: 38; Tortonese and A.M. Clark, 1956: 347; Halpern, 1970b: 62; 1970c: 212; 1970: 62; Downey, 1973: 49; McKnight, 1973: 178; Downey, 1973: 49; A.M. Clark and Courtman-Stock, 1976: 61; Clark and Downey, 1992: 231; Downey in Clark and Downey, 1992: 231; Mah, 2011:5, 2016: 112.

Philonaster Koehler, 1909: 78 View in CoL (type species Pentagonaster View in CoL [ Philonaster View in CoL ] mortenseni Koehler, 1909).

Tosiaster Verrill, 1914: 1054 View in CoL .

Diagnosis. Body outline pentagonal in most (i.e. R/r = 1.1–1.5) with some becoming more stellate. Abactinal plates tabulate, granules present on abactinal plates, marginals, actinal plates. Fasciolar grooves present among abactinal, marginal plates. Bare “patch” on dorsal facing of superomarginal plates on most species

Comments. As has been summarised herein, Ceramaster , as historically recognised is likely paraphyletic, including multiple species whose morphology suggest distinct groupings within the nominal “ Ceramaster ” as described by Verrill (1899). Full comments on the division of Ceramaster into Alloceramaster nov. gen. are included under the Goniasteridae heading. As iterated elsewhere, Ceramaster herein is restricted largely to those taxa most similar to the typological C. granularis , which includes those species showing affinities to the wide ranging C. patagonicus . Fossils, which are largely based on individual ossicles were not considered.