WoRMS taxon details
Toraster tuberculatus (Gray, 1847)
178147 (urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:178147)
accepted
Species
Astrogonium tuberculatum Gray, 1847 · unaccepted (synonym)
Goniaster tuberculatus (Gray, 1847) · unaccepted (Subsequent combinationn by...)
Subsequent combinationn by vonMartens, 1869
Pentagonaster tuberculatus (Gray, 1847) · unaccepted
Tosia tuberculata (Gray, 1847) · unaccepted (Subsequent combination from H.L....)
Subsequent combination from H.L. Clark (1923)
marine, brackish, fresh, terrestrial
recent only
(of Astrogonium tuberculatum Gray, 1847) Gray, J.E. (1847). Descriptions of some new genera and species of Asteriadae. <em>Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London.</em> 72-83., available online at http://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/12862856
page(s): 79 [details]
page(s): 79 [details]
Note Port Natal (Durban)
From editor or global species database
Type locality Port Natal (Durban) [details]
Description Body form weakly to strongly stellate, relatively thin relative to Tosia or Pentagonaster. Arm tip, rapidly narrowing,...
Description Body form weakly to strongly stellate, relatively thin relative to Tosia or Pentagonaster. Arm tip, rapidly narrowing, pointed.
Abactinal plates extremely convex, swollen, mostly bare, smooth, round to polygonal in outline. Abactinal surface covered with large, evenly round, spherical granules covering some secondary plate surfaces and plate periphery, especially at lateral contact with superomarginal plate series. Abactinal plates all relatively uniform in size, radial/interradial plates not distinctive, not enlarged. Primary circlet plates sometimes enlarged. Abactinal plates relatively small compared to Tosia or Pentagonaster. Large bivalve-pedicellariae present, commonly bisect abactinal plates. Madreporite polygonal. Double to multiple papular pores present, but absent interradially.
Fasciolar grooves between abactinal plates well-developed. Marginal plates convex, longer than wide, interradially, becoming more wider distally, relatively small compared to Pentagonaster or Tosia, decreasing in size distally. Enlarged bivalve pedicellariae similar to those on abactinal plate surface irregularly present on superomarginal plates. Large, spherical granules, similar to those on abactinal surface form periphery and cover partial superomarginal and inferomarginal surface, especially on lateral marginal plate surface. Granules sometimes distributed patchily over plate surface. Fasciolar grooves between marginal plates, well-developed. Swollen penultimate marginal plates absent. Multiple (3-6) superomarginal plates in contact across midradius adjacent to armtip, becoming more swollen, wider distally.
Actinal plates polygonal, obscured by spherical granules identical to those on abactinal, marginal plate surface, relatively small in size compared to those in Tosia or Pentagonaster. Furrow spines enlarged, relatively few (1-3) in number per plate. Subambulacrals also thickened, granular, becoming indistinguishable from actinal granulation. Adambulacral plate surface facing furrow-straight in outline. Adambulacral “divider” directed horizontally, oriented symmetrically.
Living color described by Mortensen (1933: 243) as a “beautiful red’.
[details]
Abactinal plates extremely convex, swollen, mostly bare, smooth, round to polygonal in outline. Abactinal surface covered with large, evenly round, spherical granules covering some secondary plate surfaces and plate periphery, especially at lateral contact with superomarginal plate series. Abactinal plates all relatively uniform in size, radial/interradial plates not distinctive, not enlarged. Primary circlet plates sometimes enlarged. Abactinal plates relatively small compared to Tosia or Pentagonaster. Large bivalve-pedicellariae present, commonly bisect abactinal plates. Madreporite polygonal. Double to multiple papular pores present, but absent interradially.
Fasciolar grooves between abactinal plates well-developed. Marginal plates convex, longer than wide, interradially, becoming more wider distally, relatively small compared to Pentagonaster or Tosia, decreasing in size distally. Enlarged bivalve pedicellariae similar to those on abactinal plate surface irregularly present on superomarginal plates. Large, spherical granules, similar to those on abactinal surface form periphery and cover partial superomarginal and inferomarginal surface, especially on lateral marginal plate surface. Granules sometimes distributed patchily over plate surface. Fasciolar grooves between marginal plates, well-developed. Swollen penultimate marginal plates absent. Multiple (3-6) superomarginal plates in contact across midradius adjacent to armtip, becoming more swollen, wider distally.
Actinal plates polygonal, obscured by spherical granules identical to those on abactinal, marginal plate surface, relatively small in size compared to those in Tosia or Pentagonaster. Furrow spines enlarged, relatively few (1-3) in number per plate. Subambulacrals also thickened, granular, becoming indistinguishable from actinal granulation. Adambulacral plate surface facing furrow-straight in outline. Adambulacral “divider” directed horizontally, oriented symmetrically.
Living color described by Mortensen (1933: 243) as a “beautiful red’.
[details]
Mah, C.L. (2025). World Asteroidea Database. Toraster tuberculatus (Gray, 1847). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=178147 on 2025-05-16
Date
action
by
The webpage text is licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution 4.0 License
Nomenclature
original description
(of Astrogonium tuberculatum Gray, 1847) Gray, J.E. (1847). Descriptions of some new genera and species of Asteriadae. <em>Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London.</em> 72-83., available online at http://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/12862856
page(s): 79 [details]
basis of record Clark, A. M. (1993). An index of names of recent Asteroidea, part 2: Valvatida. <em>In: Jangoux, M.; Lawrence, J.M. (Ed.) (1996). Echinoderm Studies.</em> 4: 187-366. (look up in IMIS) [details]
page(s): 79 [details]
basis of record Clark, A. M. (1993). An index of names of recent Asteroidea, part 2: Valvatida. <em>In: Jangoux, M.; Lawrence, J.M. (Ed.) (1996). Echinoderm Studies.</em> 4: 187-366. (look up in IMIS) [details]
Other
context source (Deepsea)
Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO. The Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS), available online at http://www.iobis.org/ [details]
additional source Clark, A. M.; Downey, M. E. (1992). Starfishes of the Atlantic. <i>Chapman & Hall Identification Guides</i>, 3. Chapman & Hall. London, UK. ISBN 0-412-43280-3. xxvi, 794 pp. (look up in IMIS) [details]
additional source Clark, A. M.; Courtman-Stock, J. (1976). The echinoderms of southern Africa. Publ. No. 766. British Museum (Nat. Hist), London. 277 pp. [details]
additional source Mah, C. (2007). Systematics, phylogeny and historical biogeography of the <i>Pentagonaster</i> clade (Asteroidea: Valvatida: Goniasteridae. <em>Invertebrate Systematics.</em> 21: 311-339., available online at https://doi.org/10.1071/IS06049 [details]
additional source Clark, A. M.; Downey, M. E. (1992). Starfishes of the Atlantic. <i>Chapman & Hall Identification Guides</i>, 3. Chapman & Hall. London, UK. ISBN 0-412-43280-3. xxvi, 794 pp. (look up in IMIS) [details]
additional source Clark, A. M.; Courtman-Stock, J. (1976). The echinoderms of southern Africa. Publ. No. 766. British Museum (Nat. Hist), London. 277 pp. [details]
additional source Mah, C. (2007). Systematics, phylogeny and historical biogeography of the <i>Pentagonaster</i> clade (Asteroidea: Valvatida: Goniasteridae. <em>Invertebrate Systematics.</em> 21: 311-339., available online at https://doi.org/10.1071/IS06049 [details]
Present Present in aphia/obis/gbif/idigbio Inaccurate Introduced: alien Containing type locality
From editor or global species database
Description Body form weakly to strongly stellate, relatively thin relative to Tosia or Pentagonaster. Arm tip, rapidly narrowing, pointed. Abactinal plates extremely convex, swollen, mostly bare, smooth, round to polygonal in outline. Abactinal surface covered with large, evenly round, spherical granules covering some secondary plate surfaces and plate periphery, especially at lateral contact with superomarginal plate series. Abactinal plates all relatively uniform in size, radial/interradial plates not distinctive, not enlarged. Primary circlet plates sometimes enlarged. Abactinal plates relatively small compared to Tosia or Pentagonaster. Large bivalve-pedicellariae present, commonly bisect abactinal plates. Madreporite polygonal. Double to multiple papular pores present, but absent interradially.
Fasciolar grooves between abactinal plates well-developed. Marginal plates convex, longer than wide, interradially, becoming more wider distally, relatively small compared to Pentagonaster or Tosia, decreasing in size distally. Enlarged bivalve pedicellariae similar to those on abactinal plate surface irregularly present on superomarginal plates. Large, spherical granules, similar to those on abactinal surface form periphery and cover partial superomarginal and inferomarginal surface, especially on lateral marginal plate surface. Granules sometimes distributed patchily over plate surface. Fasciolar grooves between marginal plates, well-developed. Swollen penultimate marginal plates absent. Multiple (3-6) superomarginal plates in contact across midradius adjacent to armtip, becoming more swollen, wider distally.
Actinal plates polygonal, obscured by spherical granules identical to those on abactinal, marginal plate surface, relatively small in size compared to those in Tosia or Pentagonaster. Furrow spines enlarged, relatively few (1-3) in number per plate. Subambulacrals also thickened, granular, becoming indistinguishable from actinal granulation. Adambulacral plate surface facing furrow-straight in outline. Adambulacral “divider” directed horizontally, oriented symmetrically.
Living color described by Mortensen (1933: 243) as a “beautiful red’.
[details]
Type locality Port Natal (Durban) [details]
