Diversity of Astropectinidae (Asteroidea) from deep waters of the South Western Atlantic

RIVADENEIRA, PR.; PENCHASZADEH, PE.; BROGGER, MI.

Conferencia; 15 th International Echinoderm Conference; 2015

The present work provides preliminary results of a project focusing on a diversity study of Asteroidea from deep waters of the South Atlantic. Three campaigns were performed in the Mar del Plata submarine canyon on the Argentine slope, on board the research vessel "Puerto Deseado" in 2012 and 2013. Samples were taken in a range from 200 to 3500 m depth, using fishing nets and dredges. Material was sorted onboard and fixed in 96° ethanol. Subsequent determination was conducted at the laboratory in the Argentine Museum of Natural Sciences "Bernardino Rivadavia" (Buenos Aires, Argentina) in order to determine them at the lowest taxonomic level as possible. During this study five species of Astropectinidae were found, and each record provided new information. On the basis of preliminary identifications, Bathybiaster loripes, Psilaster charcoti and Plutonaster bifrons reported expansion of their bathymetric distribution. Also, Leptychaster kerguelenensis was registered for new northernmost record. Finally, a new species of the genus Dytaster was found, within a range from 1700 to 3400 m depth, being found many individuals of different sizes. The present work aim to expand the knowledge of records and distribution of the Astropectinidae from the South Atlantic Sea.