Ophiocamax 4540

F 93298 (holotype), 93300, 93301, 93297, 93299, 93302.

Family - Ophiacanthidae.

Description

The disc is tumid (about 0.75 times high as wide), 0.5 mm diameter. The radial shields are covered. The dorsal surface is covered by plates, bearing spines/granules, with a visible diameter of 0.1–0.2 mm, overlapping, and 3–4 plates from the centre to the disc margin; primary plates not visible. Disc spines or granules of one type, cylindrical, and glassy transparent shaft, with thorns all over (sparsely distributed along the shaft). The spines are up to 0.1–0.2 mm long, and 7–8 times high as wide; sparsely distributed (1 per plate, about 30–40 in total on disc), covering the radial shields.

The ventral interradial surface is no ventral surafce, mouth and shields covering the area. The oral shields are exposed, circular (elongate oval), longer than wide. The adoral shields are exposed, extending to lateral edge of oral shield or dsital to lateral edge of oral shield, separated radially, meeting interradially. Bursal slits absent. The jaw is longer than wide, with one, pointed or tapering apical papilla, as wide as long, with thorns. Oral papillae absent or are present along each jaw angle in a series (none on 4 jaws, 1 on each edge of the fifth jaw, longer than wide, rounded, thorned), rounded, thorned. The oral tentacle pore is located inside the jaw, with distal oral papilla none.

The specimen has five arms (1 arm missing, 1 incomplete), unbranched, basally constricted (segments longer than wide), 15–18 times d.d., longest approximately 8 mm long, 0.3 mm wide at the base tapering to the tip. Dorsal arm plates, separated, without spines/granules; fan-shaped, and carinate, 0.08–0.1 mm long, and 0.6–0.7 times long as wide. The first ventral arm plates are separated from the second plate, pentagonal (quadrangular with proximal point), 0.1–0.2 mm long, and 1.4–1.5 times long as wide. The second ventral arm plates are separated from the third plate, fan-shaped, 0.1–0.2 mm long, and 1–1.2 times long as wide. Ventral arm plates of the first free segments separated, carinate, oval or fan-shaped, 0.1 mm long, and 0.6–0.7 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 no scales. There are 0 arm spines on the first ventral segment, 6 on the first free segments. The spines are erect, extending around to the dorsal surface, longest dorsally, 0.2–0.4 mm long, 6–16 times long as wide, and 0.5–1 times as long as one arm segment, pointed, cylindrical. There are thorns, hapazardly on the spine surface, all along the spine or on the base, glassy transparent shaft. Distal ventral arm spines with swollen base (enlarged swollen base covered in thorns with ring of 2–4 glassy thorns projecting outwards from the shaft at the top of the base); spines also ventral spine specialised.

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

MUSEUMVICTORIA