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Hemieuryalid 5500

F 144684.

Family - Hemieurualidae.



Description

The disc is tumid, interradial edge incised or petaloid (half spherical, half with 3–4 lobes). The radial shields are triangular with rounded corners, separated and parallel to one another, with 1–2 plates between them. The dorsal surface is covered by plates, bearing spines/granules, overlapping; primary plates not visible. Disc spines or granules of multiple types, conical. The spines are up to 0.1–0.2 mm long, and 0.9–1.1 times high as wide; sparsely distributed. The second type of spines/granules on the disc are dome-shaped, spines/granules up to 0.1–0.2 mm long, 0.9–1.1 times high as wide, sparsely distributed, one or so per plate/mm.

The ventral interradial surface is plated. The oral shields are exposed, heart shaped or fan shaped, wider than long. The adoral shields are exposed, extending to lateral edge of oral shield, separated radially, meeting interradially. Bursal slits absent. The jaw is longer than wide, with one, rounded apical papilla, longer than wide, with thorns. Oral papillae are present along each jaw angle in a series, rounded, thorned. The oral tentacle pore is located inside the jaw, with distal oral papilla similar to other oral papillae.

The specimen has six arms of equal length, unbranched, moniliform, 2–4 times d.d. Dorsal arm plates, separated, without spines/granules; diamond or fan-shaped, and 0.9–1.1 times long as wide. There are 3–4 arm spines on the first ventral segment, 4–5 on the first free segments. The spines are erect, extending laterally, subequal, and 1.5–2 times as long as one arm segment, blunt, cylindrical. There are thorns, in longitudinal series on the surface from the base to the tip of the spine or hapazardly on the spine surface, all along the spine or on the tip, glassy rough shaft.

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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