Asterostegus sabineae Okanishi & Fujita, 2014

O’Hara, Timothy D. & Thuy, Ben, 2025, Seamount ophiuroids from the High Seas of the western Indian Ocean, Zootaxa 5718 (1), pp. 1-88 : 8-12

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5718.1.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:A97521F7-2BF1-4840-8C22-03AF6B0AE2D2
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/3724530A-FFDC-A870-FF1A-A41C5864FD7B
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Asterostegus sabineae Okanishi & Fujita, 2014
status

Treatment

Asterostegus sabineae Okanishi & Fujita, 2014 View in CoL

Asterostegus sp. — Okanishi & Fujita, 2013: 568.

Asterostegus sabineae Okanishi & Fujita, 2014: 4 – 9 View in CoL View Cited Treatment , fig. 2 – 5.

STUDY MATERIAL. — MD208 : stn DW4885, Walters shoal, Pentes, 33° 16.68´S, 43° 54.18´E to 33° 16.61´S, 43° 54.9301´E, 272 – 380 m, 3/5/2017: 1 ( MNHN IE.2016.1360) ( DNA code= IE.2016.1360) GoogleMaps . — MD208 : stn CP4901, Walters Shoal, Pentes, 33° 8.4´S, 44° 0.1199´E to 33° 9.36´S, 44° 1.2499´E, 647 – 672 m, 6/5/2017: 2 ( MNHN IE.2013.17142) ( DNA code= IE.2013.17142) GoogleMaps .

COMPARATIVE MATERIAL EXAMINED. Asterostegus spinigerum ( Mortensen, 1933b) : MD32 /DC132, La Reunion, 20° 51.1´S, 55° 37.05´E, 510 m, 2/9/1982 GoogleMaps , MNHN IE.2013.8004 ( DNA code= AB758786 View Materials ). MIRIKY/ CP3182, entre Nosy-bé et Banc du Leven, 12° 35.32´S, 48° 17.0202´E GoogleMaps to 12° 35.69´S, 48° 16.1598´E, 331 – 364 m, 26/6/2009, MNHN IE.2013.5295 ( DNA code=IE.2013.5295).

COMPARATIVE MATERIAL NOT EXAMINED. Asterostegus maini McKnight, 2003b : Shenhalyongshi/ SC009, South China Sea, near Xisha Islands archipelago, 16° 47.79´N, 113° 15.04´E, 602 m, 31/3/2020, identified by Nethupul et al. 2022b, CAS IDSSE-EEB-SW0076 ( DNA code= OK044303 View Materials ). Asterostegus sabineae Okanishi & Fujita, 2014 :ATIMO VATAE/CP3616, Sud Cap Sainte Marie, 26° 17´S, 45° 10´E, 409 – 473 m, 14/5/2010, holotype, MNHN IE.2018.8012 ( DNA code= AB758768 View Materials ); identified by Okanishi & Fujita (2013) as A. maini, MNHN

IE.2013.8006 ( DNA code= AB758767 View Materials ). off west coast of Madagascar, 500 m, 2009, identified by Okanishi & Fujita (2013) as A. tuberculatus Mortensen, 1933b , NHRM 123461 ( DNA code= AB758769 View Materials ).

Distribution. W Indian Ocean ( 409 – 473 m), Walters Shoal ( 272 – 672 m).

Remarks. The COI from these specimens cluster with sequences of O. sabineae holotype deposited on NCBI ( AB758768 View Materials ). They are also very similar to NCBI sequences (also from the SW Indian Ocean) named as A. maini ( AB758767 View Materials ) and A. tuberculatus ( AB758769 View Materials ) from a study by Okanishi & Fujita (2013). Asterostegus maini is a West Pacific species, and A. tuberculatus was described from NE South Africa ( Mortensen 1933b). All three NCBI COI sequences should be regarded as coming from O. sabineae , although, without more data from type localities, is unclear whether this species can be distinguished from A. tuberculatus from South African.

Sequences of another species, Astroceras spinigerum Mortensen, 1933b also cluster with Asterostegus , including one of our samples from northern Madagascar (MNHN IE.2013.5295) and another NCBI sequence ( AB758786 View Materials ) from off Reunion Island deposited by Okanishi & Fujita (2013). All other Astroceras samples form a monophyletic clade sister to Astromorpha, Trichaster and Euryale . On the basis of this evidence, we transfer A. spinigerum to Asterostegus .