Amphiophiura turgida

F 99674, 99675.

Family - Ophiuridae.

Description

The disc is tumid, 15 mm diameter. The radial shields are covered or round (partially covered by plates), contiguous over much of their length; 0.5–1 times long as wide, and length 0.18 times d.d. The dorsal surface is covered by plates, no spines/granules, with a visible diameter of 3.5–4.8 mm, touching, with distinct centrodorsdal plate or with single interradial marginal plate; primary plates visible. Arm comb present, with papillae blunt or round ended, as wide as long, separated radially.

The ventral interradial surface is plated. The oral shields are exposed, teardrop, longer than wide. The adoral shields are exposed, proximal to lateral edge of oral shield, separated radially, meeting interradially. Bursal slits extend from the oral shield to the disc margin, bordered by spines or papillae, pointed narrow spiniform, 3 or more times long as wide. The jaw is wider than long, with two, rounded apical papilla, as wide as long. Oral papillae are present along each jaw angle in a series or separated by a gap from apical papillae, rounded. The oral tentacle pore is located out of the jaw on top of the ventral disc, with a ring of scales surrounding the pore.

The specimen has five arms, unbranched, basally constricted, 3–5 times d.d. Dorsal arm plates, contiguous, without spines/granules; fan-shaped, and 0.5–0.65 times long as wide. The second ventral arm plates are contiguous with the third plate, triangular, and 0.7–0.85 times long as wide. Ventral arm plates of the first free segments separated, quadrangular, and 0.5–0.8 times long as wide. Tentacle pores along the arm, with several scales as a ring of many scales around the pore, reducing in number, not covering the pore, oval. There are 0 arm spines on the first ventral segment, 3 on the first free segments. The spines are adpressed to arm, extending laterally, subequal, and 0.5–1 times as long as one arm segment, blunt, cylindrical.

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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