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Description The disc is flat, interradial edge petaloid, 7 mm diameter. The radial shields are covered. The dorsal surface is covered by plates, bearing spines/granules, with a visible diameter of 2–4 mm, overlapping; primary plates not visible. Disc spines or granules of one type, cylindrical, and glassy transparent shaft, with thorns all over. The spines are up to 3–4 mm long, and 10–12 times high as wide; densely distributed. The ventral interradial surface is with skin. The oral shields are covered in skin or exposed, teardrop, wider than long. The adoral shields are covered in skin or exposed, extending to lateral edge of oral shield, separated radially, meeting interradially. Bursal slits extend from the oral shield to the disc margin, not bordered by spines or papillae. The jaw is longer than wide, with cluster of, rounded apical papilla, longer than wide or as wide as long. Oral papillae absent. The oral tentacle pore is located out of the jaw on top of the ventral disc, with no scales. The specimen has five arms, unbranched, moniliform, 4–6 times d.d. Dorsal arm plates, contiguous, without spines/granules; oval or triangular or diamond (pointed proximally), and 0.65–0.75 times long as wide. The second ventral arm plates are contiguous with the third plate, covered by skin, rounded, and 1–1.25 times long as wide. Ventral arm plates of the first free segments contiguous, oval (striaghter edged distally), and 0.6–0.7 times long as wide. Tentacle pores along the arm, with one scale, not covering the pore, oval. There are 2 arm spines on the first ventral segment, 5–6 on the first free segments. The spines are erect, extending around to the dorsal surface, longest in middle or longest dorsally, and 3–5 times as long as one arm segment, blunt, flattened. There are thorns, in longitudinal series on the surface from the base to the tip of the spine, all along the spine or on the tip (multiple thorns on the tip), glassy transparent shaft, with hooks. Spines also ventral spine specialised (2 hooks laterally at the top of the spine).
Description exported from Delta key and to be finalised when DNA sampling completed. Note species description and image characters may vary slightly in animals of different size within the same species. Cite this publication as: "T O'Hara
(2010). ‘Ophiuroids from deep sea southern Australia. Museum Victoria. Version:
1.0 http://www.museumvictoria.com.au/stars" MUSEUMVICTORIA |