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Deep-Sea Echinoderms of New Zealand

Amphiodia Verrill, 1899

Amphiodia Verrill, 1899

This amphiurid genus has not hitherto been recorded from New Zealand, though a species is recorded from Torres Strait in Australian waters. The genus is characterized as follows:

Oral papillae three or four in number, subequal; radial shields divergent; disc covered by scales, without any specially distinguished marginal scales, and without disc-spines.

Amphiodia destinata Koehler
  • Koehler, R., 1922. Sci. Rpts. Australasian Antarctic Exped. 1911-14, Ser. C, 8 (2), p. 32 Pl. 79.

Material Examined: 12 specimens from three stations: 400 fathoms, Cook Strait, VUZ Station 87, 4 specimens; 290 fathoms, NW of White Island, Bay of Plenty, Dom. Mus. Station B.S.203, 7 specimens; 270 fathoms, off Mayor Island, Bay of Plenty, Dom. Mus. Station, B.S.209, 1 specimen.

page 28

Remarks: The specimens from Station 87, Cook Strait, agree in most respects with Koehler's description. His material was from 350 fathoms, off the Australian quadrant of Antarctica, and the species has not till now been reported from beyond Antarctica. The largest specimen I have before me is 10 mm across the disc, and has 6 arm-spines on basal segments. The others from Station 87 have 6, occasionally 7, arm-spines. Koehler's type had only 5 arm-spines, but this character may depend on age. On the basal segments two or three spines of a cluster may be slightly recurved, not merely the second lowest spine, as stated to be the case in Koehler's material. However, Pl. 79 of Koehler's work (Koehler, 1922) seems to show more than one recurved spine on the basal segments. The Bay of Plenty specimens have a disc diameter of 7 mm or less, and differ in having the proximal spines less recurved proximad, whilst some of the middle joints of the arms have the second lowest spine recurved weakly distad.

It is possible that this New Zealand form is not identical with the Antarctic one.

Amphipholis squamata (Delle Chiaje)
  • For synonymy see Mortensen, Th., 1924. Vid. Medd. dansk naturh. For., 77 p. 161–2.

Material Examined: Five deep-sea examples from three stations: 300 fathoms, Canyon A, ENE Otago Heads. 2 specimens; 200–300 fathoms, Cook Strait, VUZ Station 51, 2 specimens: 150 fathoms, Cook Strait, VUZ Station 98, 1 specimen.