Volume 26, Issue 78, July - December, 2025

New records of Aquilonastra richmondi (O'Loughlin & Rowe, 2006) and detailed taxonomy of Aquilonastra iranica (Mortensen, 1940) from Jiwani Makran Coast Balochistan, Northern Arabian Sea

Qadeer Mohammad Ali¹, Quratulan Ahmed^1♦, Iqra Shaikh¹, Levent Bat²

¹The Marine Reference Collection and Resources Centre, 75270, Karachi, Pakistan
²Department of Hydrobiology, Faculty of Fisheries, University of Sinop. 57000 Sinop, Türkiye

^♦Corresponding Author
Quratulan Ahmed, The Marine Reference Collection and Resources Centre, 75270, Karachi, Pakistan

ABSTRACT

This study significantly enhances the understanding of Asteroidea diversity in the northern Arabian Sea by providing the first confirmed record of Aquilonastra richmondi (O'Loughlin & Rowe, 2006) and complete description of Aquilonastra iranica (Mortensen, 1940) along the Makran Coast of Pakistan. This study meticulously documented comprehensive morphological characteristics and habitat information for both species A. richmondi and A. iranica collected from Bandari Beach, Jiwani Makran coast. These findings contribute crucial data to verify identification accuracy and offer reliable descriptions, diagnoses, and illustrations of key taxonomic features. The current research represents a valuable addition to the known Aquilonastra fauna in Pakistani coastal waters, expanding the regional understanding of marine biodiversity. All identified specimens have been securely deposited in the Marine Reference Collection and Resource Centre at the University of Karachi, ensuring their accessibility for future research.

Keywords: Marine biodiversity, Asteroidea, new record, Aquilonastra, Makran Coast

Species, 2025, 26(78), e27s3141

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi.v26i78.e27s3141

Published: 09 July 2025