Let P(X,Y,Z) be a homogeneous polynomial in ℂ[X,Y,Z] whose locus M in ℂℙ2 is a nonsingular curve of genus ≥ 2.
Define M to be maximally symmetric if the following is not true:
There exists a continuous family { Pt | t ∊ [0,1] } of homogeneous polynomials in ℂ[X,Y,Z] such that 1), 2), and 3) hold:
1) P0 = P.
2) The locus Mt in ℂℙ2 of each Pt is nonsingular.
3) There is a group G such that the ambient isometry groups
Gt := IsomA(Mt) are all isomorphic to G for 0 <= ≤ t < 1, but G1 contains G as a proper subgroup.
Here the "ambient isometry group" IsomA(Mt) of a projective curve M in ℂℙ2 means the subgroup of Isom(ℂℙ2) = PSU(3) that carries M to itself.
Question: I'd like pointers to the literature regarding what may be known about a classification of such "maximally symmetric" projective curves up to ambient isometry, their defining polynomials, and especially their ambient isometry groups.

