Illustrated catalogue of the type Asteroidea in the Natural History Museum, London. Part I. Forcipulatacea
In: Systematics and Biodiversity. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge. ISSN 1477-2000; e-ISSN 1478-0933, more
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| Author keywords |
starfish, echinoderms, museum collections, type specimens |
| Abstract |
The Asteroidea collections in the Natural History Museum, London (NHM) were initiated in the late 18th century and have grown to contain thousands of specimen lots. Foremost amongst these are type series representing 517 nominal species, of which some 365 represent currently accepted taxa. This catalogue provides a comprehensive, critically evaluated record of the known type material in the NHM collections, placing the taxa represented into the current systematic framework. Bibliographic data important to nomenclatural acts are also critically reviewed and the dates of numerous taxa corrected accordingly, with wider taxonomic implications. The present work has been split into three parts; this first section covers the superorder Forcipulatacea, of which the NHM collections include type material representing 94 species-level names, of which four were introduced as subspecies and a further four have been demoted to varietal status. The status of valid taxa listed as taxa inquirenda or nomina dubia in the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) database are clarified where possible, and type specimens that have never been figured are illustrated for the first time. Genera currently placed in Novodiniidae, Brisingasteridae and Odinellidae are grouped as a single family within Brisingida. Four lectotypes and two neotypes have been designated to maintain taxonomic stability. |
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