Ophiocamax applicatus

F 80892, 82419, 82418.

Family - Ophiacanthidae.

Description

The disc is flat, 18 mm diameter. The radial shields are triangular with rounded corners, contiguous over much of their length; 1.5–2 times long as wide, and length 0.18 times d.d. The dorsal surface is covered by plates, bearing spines/granules, obscured by skin, with a visible diameter of 1.2–2.1 mm, overlapping; primary plates not visible. Disc spines or granules of one type, cylindrical, with thorns all over (most in lines). The spines are up to 1–2.2 mm long, and 3–5 times high as wide; sparsely distributed or restricted to regions of the disc (not present on radial shields and becoming sparser toawrd the disc margin).

The ventral interradial surface is with skin-covered plates. The oral shields are covered in granules or exposed, heart shaped or diamond, longer than wide. 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 as wide as long, with one or two (tending toward a cluster), pointed or tapering apical papilla, longer than wide. Oral papillae separated by a gap from apical papillae, pointed. 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, moniliform, 6–8 times d.d. Dorsal arm plates, separated, without spines/granules; bell shaped, and 0.6–0.75 times long as wide. The second ventral arm plates are contiguous with the third plate, diamond (distal edges concave), and 0.5–0.6 times long as wide. Ventral arm plates of the first free segments separated or contiguous, diamond (many with distal edges concaved), and 0.5–0.9 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 or covering the pore, pointed (spiniform). There are 2–4 arm spines on the first ventral segment, 4–5 on the first free segments. The spines are erect, extending around to the dorsal surface or extending laterally, longest dorsally, and 2–4 times as long as one arm segment, pointed, cylindrical. There are thorns, hapazardly on the spine surface, all along the spine, 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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