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Sea-Stars (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) from "Eltanin" Cruise 26, with a Review of the New Zealand Asteroid Fauna

Distribution of Asteroids in New Zealand and Outlying Islands

Distribution of Asteroids in New Zealand and Outlying Islands

Both Fell (1949) and Pawson (1961) use the Aupourian, Cookian (including the Chathams), Forsterian and Antipodean divisions of the New Zealand region for geographic discussions (these are based on divisions used by earlier workers); a similar effect is obtained for the asteroids using the simpler geographic divisions of: the North Island (with the offshore islands in the North East), the South Island (with Stewart Island), Cook Strait and the Chatham Islands. The fauna of the Subantarctic Islands (Antipodean province, Pawson, 1961) and the Kermadec Islands are considered separately.

Altogether 75 species (54 genera) constitute the asteroid fauna of New Zealand and its outlying islands. Sixty-five * of these (48 genera) are known from New Zealand and 32 species are restricted to these waters—of these 7 species (6 genera) are known only from the North Island; 5 species (5 genera) from the South Island; 2 species (2 genera) from Cook Strait and 3 species (3 genera) are confined to the Chatham Islands; the remaining 15 species are widespread throughout the area. Of the remaining 33 species 6 (6 genera) are present in New Zealand and Australia only, a further 5 (5 genera) are shared with the Indo-Pacific area, 2 species (2 page 2genera) are common to New Zealand, Australia and South Africa and a further 3 are widespread in the Southern Hemisphere including South America. New Zealand shares at least 5 species (5 genera) with the Kermadecs (4 of these are also present in Australia) and at least 10 species (6 genera) are shared with the Subantarctic islands. Both Japan and Hawaii share one species each with New Zealand. Two genera of the exclusively deepwater family Porcellanasteridae present in New Zealand waters are also found in Antarctica (the species are widespread in the Southern Hemisphere and are included in this category above) while at least 8 genera from different families in varying depths have close relatives in Antarctica.

The main affinities then, of the New Zealand asteroid fauna are with the Australian Indo-Pacific regions in the north but there is also an Antarctic element especially in abyssal forms. It seems doubtful whether the East Cape area of the North Island forms as efficient a barrier for asteroids as it does for the echinoids (Baker, 1968), for of 23 species (18 genera) known from the Bay of Plenty-Hauraki Gulf region only 5 are confined to this area, the rest have a scattered distribution in New Zealand waters and some are more widespread.

An interesting feature is the presence in New Zealand of members of the predominantly tropical family Brisingidae. Fell (1958) described Brisingenes delli from the Bay of Plenty, and later species include Brisinga tasmani n. sp., Astrolirus (or Stegnobrisinga)—both from the Bay of Plenty area and—Craterobrisinga from the Chathams. Also of interest is the occurrence in New Zealand waters of members of the family Porcellanasteridae which Fell (1959) predicted.

Of the 64 New Zealand species included (Calvasterias laevigata is omitted through lack of data) 14 are confined to abyssal areas in depths over 555 m., 6 are present in the archibenthal regions in depths from 185–555 m. and 13 are known from the shore down to 185 m. A further 15 have a wide depth tolerance from shore to abyssal regions, 9 range from the shore down to archibenthal depths and 6 are shared between archibenthal and abyssal depths.

The Subantarctic islands (excluding Macquarie Island which is separated by deeper water) have a small known asteroid fauna (possibly due to insufficient collecting) with only 12 species (8 genera) present. Only one species, shallow water Asterodon robustus Fell is restricted to these islands, the rest are shared with the New Zealand-Chatham complex.

Sixteen species (15 genera) are known from the Kermadec Islands to the north of New Zealand. At least 9 of these are shallow water and confined to the area, and one species has a close relative in New Zealand. The remaining species are shared with Australia and New Zealand and (2 species) with Africa also; one species is also known from the Indo-Pacific area.

Checklist of New Zealand Asteroids Part 1

Checklist of New Zealand Asteroids Part 1

page 3
Checklist of New Zealand Asteroids Part 2

Checklist of New Zealand Asteroids Part 2

page 4
Checklist of New Zealand Asteroids Part 3

Checklist of New Zealand Asteroids Part 3

page 5
Checklist of New Zealand Asteroids Part 4

Checklist of New Zealand Asteroids Part 4

Checklist of Kermadec Island Asteroids

Checklist of Kermadec Island Asteroids

page 6
Checklist of Subantarctic Asteroids

Checklist of Subantarctic Asteroids

Key to Code Used in Checklists
A.            =            Australia
Af.            =            Africa
H.            =            Hawaii
I.P.            =            Indo-Pacific
J.            =            Japan
K.            =            Kermadec Islands
S.Af.            =            South Africa
S.Ant.            =            Subantarctic Island
W.Af.            =            West Africa

* This includes all species listed in the check-list except Asterina novaezelandiae Perrier, which is doubtfully valid.