Vol. 38 No. 3, 1999

A Revision of the Family Astropectinidae (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) from Taiwan, with Description of Five New Records

Shyh-Min Chao

Division of Zoology, National Museum of Natural Science, Taichung, Taiwan 404

Shyh-Min Chao (1999) From July 1994 to Aug.1998, systematic collections of starfishes by trawling from sandy substrates at 30-200 m depth along the coast off Taiwan were conducted at 9 stations. Six species (Astropecten polyacanthus*, Astropecten vappa*, Craspidaster hesperus, Ctenopleura sinica*, Dipsacaster pretiosus*, and Tethyaster aulophorus*) of the Astropectinidae were collected, with five being new records (marked with asterisks). This paper describes these 6 species and reviews the classification of other recorded astropectinids from Taiwan. Two species, Astropecten vappa and Ctenopleura sinica, first recorded by Hayasaka in 1949 were misidentified as Astropecten scoparius and Ctenopleura ludwigi, respectively. Species accounts, a key to species, notes on general habitat and distribution, and photos are presented.

Key words: Astropectinidae, Echinoderm, Starfish, Taiwan, Taxonomy.

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