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 More images | Distribution map | F 101727, 91785. Family - Ophiocomidae. |
Description The disc is flat. The radial shields are covered. The dorsal surface is covered by spines/granules no discernable plates; primary plates not visible. Disc spines or granules of one type, cylindrical. The spines are up to 0.07 mm long, and 1 times high as wide; densely distributed. The ventral interradial surface is plated. The oral shields are exposed, circular, as long as wide. The adoral shields are exposed, extending to lateral edge of oral shield, separated radially, meeting interradially (sometimes separated). Bursal slits extend from the oral shield to the disc margin, not bordered by spines or papillae. The jaw is as wide as long, with cluster of, rounded apical papilla, as wide as long. Oral papillae are present along each jaw angle in a series, quadrangular. The oral tentacle pore is located inside the jaw, with distal oral papilla enlarged, and rounded or quadrangular. The specimen has five arms, unbranched, moniliform, 3–5 times d.d. Dorsal arm plates, contiguous, with spines/granules, clustered on the basal dorsal arm plates (minorly so); fan-shaped or hexagonal, and 1 times long as wide. The second ventral arm plates are contiguous with the third plate, fan-shaped (notched laterally around pores), and 0.4 times long as wide. Ventral arm plates of the first free segments contiguous, quadrangular (curved proximal edge and notched on each lateral edge), and 0.4 times long as wide. Tentacle pores along the arm, with two scales, not covering the pore, oval. There are 3 arm spines on the first ventral segment, 6–7 on the first free segments. The spines are erect, extending around to the dorsal surface, longest dorsally, and 3–5 times as long as one arm segment, blunt, cylindrical or flattened. There are serated, all along 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 |