Ophiomelina 4534

F 84181 (holotype), 84015, 93275, 93314, 93315.

Family - Ophiacanthidae, or Ophiuridae.

Description

The disc is flat, 4 mm diameter. The radial shields are covered. The dorsal surface is covered by plates, bearing spines/granules, with a visible diameter of 0.2 mm, overlapping, and 10–12 plates from the centre to the disc margin; primary plates not visible. Disc spines or granules of one type, cylindrical (cylindrical with conical base), with multiple, more than 3, terminal points/thorns (as single or bifid projections that fan outwards from the top of the spine), and glassy transparent shaft. The spines are up to 0.2–0.3 mm long, and 3–5 times high as wide; densely distributed (35–45 per sq mm), covering the radial shields.

The ventral interradial surface is plated, with spines/granules also covering the surface. The oral shields are exposed, teardrop, wider than long. The adoral shields are 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 wider than long, with one, pointed or tapering apical papilla, longer than wide or as wide as long, with thorns. Oral papillae separated by a gap from apical papillae, pointed, thorned. The oral tentacle pore is located inside the jaw, with distal oral papilla enlarged, and quadrangular.

The specimen has five arms, unbranched, basally constricted (segments longer than wide), 1–2 times d.d., longest approximately 6 mm long, 0.5 mm wide at the base tapering to the tip. Dorsal arm plates, separated, without spines/granules; fan-shaped (or rounded with proximal point), 0.3–0.5 mm long, and 0.5–0.9 times long as wide. The first ventral arm plates are separated from the second plate, pentagonal, 0.3–0.4 mm long, and 0.8–1.2 times long as wide. The second ventral arm plates are separated from the third plate, triangular or fan-shaped, 0.5–0.6 mm long, and 0.7–0.8 times long as wide. Ventral arm plates of the first free segments separated, fan-shaped, notched or concave laterally, 0.4–0.5 mm long, and 0.8–1 times long as wide. The lateral arm plates touch one another laterally, or meet on the dorsal and ventral midlines. Tentacle pores along the arm, with one scale, covering the pore, leaf-shaped or oval. There are 1–2 arm spines on the first ventral segment, 3–4 on the first free segments. The spines are erect, extending around to the dorsal surface (some only laterally), longest dorsally, 0.7–1 mm long, 7–10 times long as wide, and 1–2 times as long as one arm segment, pointed, cylindrical. There are thorns, in longitudinal series on the surface from the base to the tip of the spine, all along the spine (sparse and large in size), glassy transparent shaft, but spines damaged and arms incomplete in this specimen.

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"
Information updated 5 February 2010

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