110
a. K. DELL
gap dividing what was called ‘r strictly Antarctic ” from “ a peripheral
Antarctic fauna ”.
Genera characteristic of the Antarctic fauna are Macroptychaster,
Bathybiaster, Psilaster, Luidiaster, Kampylaster, Myoraster, Cuenotaster,
Notasterias and Lysasterias (Clark, 1963).
Two genera of asteroids otherwise confined to Antarctica extend to
southern South America, i.e. Perknaster and Acodontaster (Clark, 1963).
Fisher (1940) gave an extremely useful list of Antarctic seastars
together with their known bathymetric range. This list totalled 114
species arranged in 50 genera.
Clark (1963, p. 79) recorded that of the 37 species from the Ross Sea,
only 13 extended into the Subantarctic or south temperate zones. It
is not clear from Clark’s rather brief remarks whether these extensions
take place to the north of the Ross Sea or through the Scotia Arc,
though it is implied that more are via the latter route. Dawson (1970)
shows that only one of the species of Asteroidea found in the Ross SeaBalleny Island region is also found at Macquarie, and that none of them
also occur in New Zealand.
Bernasconi (1970) recorded 32 species grouped in 8 families and 19
genera collected by the Argentinean Antarctic expeditions to the
Antarctic Peninsula. Some 6 species previously known only from East
Antarctica were shown t o occur also in West Antarctica.
A general account of the brooding habit in echinoderms is given in a
separate section. A peculiar adaptation exists in the asteroid Odinella
nutrix Fisher (family Brisingidae) described by Fisher (1940). Here
special brood chambers form in the interradius with permanent spine
bridges forming a basket. Some five to nine eggs are deposited in the
basket, and the developing young are kept there. Usually two or three
young are much more advanced than the rest.
Some few individual Antarctic benthic species have now received
intensive study.
Such a one is the seastar, Odontaster validus Koehler. First
described in 1906 it has been collected, often in large numbers, by most
subsequent Antarctic expeditions. Apart from its systematic position
and general anatomy, however, most of what we now know of its biology
is due to the work of a “ resident ” marine biologist, J. S. Pearse,
working at the USARP Laboratory a t McMurdo Sound. In a series of
papers he has discussed reproductive periodicities in contrasting
populations (1965, 1966) and its general larval development (19694.
In a semi-popular account he has presented a summary of his findings
(1969b) in a form which makes them readily intelligible to a nonspecialist reader.
a. K. DELL
gap dividing what was called ‘r strictly Antarctic ” from “ a peripheral
Antarctic fauna ”.
Genera characteristic of the Antarctic fauna are Macroptychaster,
Bathybiaster, Psilaster, Luidiaster, Kampylaster, Myoraster, Cuenotaster,
Notasterias and Lysasterias (Clark, 1963).
Two genera of asteroids otherwise confined to Antarctica extend to
southern South America, i.e. Perknaster and Acodontaster (Clark, 1963).
Fisher (1940) gave an extremely useful list of Antarctic seastars
together with their known bathymetric range. This list totalled 114
species arranged in 50 genera.
Clark (1963, p. 79) recorded that of the 37 species from the Ross Sea,
only 13 extended into the Subantarctic or south temperate zones. It
is not clear from Clark’s rather brief remarks whether these extensions
take place to the north of the Ross Sea or through the Scotia Arc,
though it is implied that more are via the latter route. Dawson (1970)
shows that only one of the species of Asteroidea found in the Ross SeaBalleny Island region is also found at Macquarie, and that none of them
also occur in New Zealand.
Bernasconi (1970) recorded 32 species grouped in 8 families and 19
genera collected by the Argentinean Antarctic expeditions to the
Antarctic Peninsula. Some 6 species previously known only from East
Antarctica were shown t o occur also in West Antarctica.
A general account of the brooding habit in echinoderms is given in a
separate section. A peculiar adaptation exists in the asteroid Odinella
nutrix Fisher (family Brisingidae) described by Fisher (1940). Here
special brood chambers form in the interradius with permanent spine
bridges forming a basket. Some five to nine eggs are deposited in the
basket, and the developing young are kept there. Usually two or three
young are much more advanced than the rest.
Some few individual Antarctic benthic species have now received
intensive study.
Such a one is the seastar, Odontaster validus Koehler. First
described in 1906 it has been collected, often in large numbers, by most
subsequent Antarctic expeditions. Apart from its systematic position
and general anatomy, however, most of what we now know of its biology
is due to the work of a “ resident ” marine biologist, J. S. Pearse,
working at the USARP Laboratory a t McMurdo Sound. In a series of
papers he has discussed reproductive periodicities in contrasting
populations (1965, 1966) and its general larval development (19694.
In a semi-popular account he has presented a summary of his findings
(1969b) in a form which makes them readily intelligible to a nonspecialist reader.