''Nepanthia'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

starfish Starfish or sea stars are Star polygon, star-shaped echinoderms belonging to the class (biology), class Asteroidea (). Common usage frequently finds these names being also applied to brittle star, ophiuroids, which are correctly referred to ...

of the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Asterinidae The Asterinidae are a large family of sea stars in the order Valvatida. Description and characteristics These are generally small sea stars, flattened dorsally and bearing very short arms, often giving a pentagonal shape in the body ;example: ...

. Members of the genus have four to seven rays and are found in the eastern Pacific Ocean, ranging from Burma and Indonesia to Australia.

Characteristics

Members of the genus ''Nepanthia'' are characterized by having four to seven rays that are narrowly flat actinally (underneath), sub-cylindrical and tapering with the marginal edge weakly angular.

Pedicellaria A pedicellaria (: pedicellariae) is a small wrench- or claw-shaped appendage with movable jaws, called valves, commonly found on echinoderms (phylum Echinodermata), particularly in sea stars (class Asteroidea) and sea urchins (class Echinoidea). ...

e are present as are transactinal plates and superactinal plates. The plates on the rays are not in series, there is usually a single papula per space, the spines are fine, glassy but not needle-shaped and the superomarginal plates are irregular. The type species is '' Nepanthia maculata'' Gray, 1840.

Distribution

Members of the genus are found at depths down to about in Australia, Lord Howe Island, Indonesia, the Timor Sea, New Guinea, West Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Burma and the

Mergui Archipelago The Mergui Archipelago (also Myeik Archipelago or ''Myeik Kyunzu''; ) is located in far southern Myanmar (Burma) and is part of the Tanintharyi Region. It consists of around 800 islands, varying in size from very small to hundreds of square kilo ...

Species

The World Asteroidea Dartabase lists the following species: *'' Nepanthia belcheri'' (Perrier, 1875) *'' Nepanthia crassa'' (Gray, 1847) *'' Nepanthia fisheri'' Rowe & Marsh, 1982 *'' Nepanthia maculata'' Gray, 1840 *'' Nepanthia pedicellaris'' Fisher, 1913

References

Asterinidae Taxa named by John Edward Gray Asteroidea genera {{Asteroidea-stub