Meridiastra mortenseni

Meridiastra mortenseni is a sea star of the family Asterinidae. It is endemic to New Zealand.[1] Described as Patiriella mortenseni in 2002,[2] it is named after T. Mortensen, who recorded it as distinct from Patiriella regularis, the New Zealand common cushion star, in 1925.[3] According to genetic evidence, P. mortenseni was moved from the Patiriella genus to Meridiastra in 2004.[4]

Meridiastra mortenseni
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Echinodermata
Class: Asteroidea
Order: Valvatida
Family: Asterinidae
Genus: Meridiastra
Species:
M. mortenseni
Binomial name
Meridiastra mortenseni
O'Loughlin, Waters & Roy, 2002
Synonyms

Patiriella mortenseni

Reciprocal transplant experiments in Fiordland have shown it is less tolerant of hyposaline conditions than the sympatric (but distantly related) P. regularis. This is reflected in its distribution: it lives in deeper waters (at depths of roughly 10±3 m in Milford and Doubtful Sounds), below the low salinity layer.[5] In laboratory conditions, they die after 24-hour exposure to water with salinities below 25.[5]

References

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  1. ^ Mah CL, ed. (2023). "Meridiastra mortenseni (O'Loughlin, Waters & Roy, 2002)". World Asteroidea database. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  2. ^ O'Loughlin, P. M.; Waters, J. M. & Roy, M. S. (2002). "Description of a new species of Patiriella from New Zealand, and review of Patiriella regularis (Echinodermata, Asteroidea) based on morphological and molecular data". Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 32 (4): 697–711. doi:10.1080/03014223.2002.9517716. S2CID 84807132.
  3. ^ Mortensen, T. 1925: Echinoderms of New Zealand and the Auckland-Campbell Islands. III-V. Asteroidea, Holothurioidea, Crinoidea. Videnskabelige Meddelelser fra Dansk naturhistorisk Forening i København 79: 261–420.
  4. ^ O’Loughlin, P. Mark & Waters, Jonathan M. (2004). "A molecular and morphological revision of genera of Asterinidae (Echinodermata: Asteroidea)". Memoirs of Museum Victoria. 61 (1): 1–40. doi:10.24199/j.mmv.2004.61.1.
  5. ^ a b Barker, M.F. & Russell, M.P. (2008). "The distribution and behaviour of Patiriella mortenseni and P. regularis in the extreme hyposaline conditions of the southern New Zealand fiords". Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. 355: 76–84. doi:10.1016/j.jembe.2007.12.001.