Nepanthia

Nepanthia
	Nepanthia belcheri
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Echinodermata
Class:	Asteroidea
Order:	Valvatida
Family:	Asterinidae
Genus:	Nepanthia; Gray, 1840[1]
Species
	See text
Synonyms
	Henricides Verrill, 1914; Parasterina Fisher, 1908;

Nepanthia is a genus of starfish of the family Asterinidae. Members of the genus have four to seven rays and are found in the eastern Pacific Ocean, ranging from Burma and Indonesia to Australia.

Characteristics

Members of the genus Nepanthia are characterized by having four to seven rays that are narrowly flat actinally (underneath), sub-cylindrical and tapering with the marginal edge weakly angular. Pedicellariae are present as are transactinal plates and superactinal plates. The plates on the rays are not in series, there is usually a single papula per space, the spines are fine, glassy but not needle-shaped and the superomarginal plates are irregular. The type species is Nepanthia maculata Gray, 1840.[2]

Distribution

Members of the genus are found at depths down to about 123 m (404 ft) in Australia, Lord Howe Island, Indonesia, the Timor Sea, New Guinea, West Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Burma and the Mergui Archipelago.[2]

Species

The World Asteroidea Dartabase lists the following species:[1]

Nepanthia belcheri (Perrier, 1875)
Nepanthia crassa (Gray, 1847)
Nepanthia fisheri Rowe & Marsh, 1982
Nepanthia maculata Gray, 1840
Nepanthia pedicellaris Fisher, 1913

References

Mah, C., Hansson, H. (2013). Mah CL (ed.). "Nepanthia Gray, 1840". World Asteroidea database. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2014-01-19.
O'Loughlin, P. M.; Waters, J. M. (2004). "A molecular and morphological revision of genera of Asterinidae (Echinodermata: Asteroidea)" (PDF). Memoirs of Museum Victoria. 61 (1): 1–40. doi:10.24199/j.mmv.2004.61.1. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 23, 2008.

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[WoRMS-1] Mah, C., Hansson, H. (2013). Mah CL (ed.). "Nepanthia Gray, 1840". World Asteroidea database. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2014-01-19.

[OLoughlin-2] O'Loughlin, P. M.; Waters, J. M. (2004). "A molecular and morphological revision of genera of Asterinidae (Echinodermata: Asteroidea)" (PDF). Memoirs of Museum Victoria. 61 (1): 1–40. doi:10.24199/j.mmv.2004.61.1. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 23, 2008.