Ophiopsammus assimilis

F 92215, 110552.

Family - Ophiodermatidae.

Description

The disc is flat, 12 mm diameter. 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 or dome-shaped. The spines are up to 0.02–0.07 mm long, and 0.9–1.1 times high as wide; densely distributed.

The oral shields are exposed, circular, wider than long or as long as wide. The adoral shields are covered in granules. Bursal slits extend from the oral shield to the disc margin, not bordered by spines or papillae. The jaw is wider than long, with one or two, rounded apical papilla, longer than wide. Oral papillae are present along each jaw angle in a series, pointed or rounded. The oral tentacle pore is located inside the jaw, with distal oral papilla enlarged, and quadrangular.

The specimen has five arms, unbranched, moniliform, 4–6 times d.d. Dorsal arm plates, contiguous, with spines/granules, clustered on the basal dorsal arm plates; oval or quadrangular, and 0.3–0.4 times long as wide. The second ventral arm plates are contiguous with the third plate, rounded or quadrangular, and 0.5–0.8 times long as wide. Ventral arm plates of the first free segments contiguous, oval, and 0.75–1.1 times long as wide. Tentacle pores along the arm, with two scales, covering the pore, oval. There are 2–3 arm spines on the first ventral segment, 6–7 on the first free segments. The spines are adpressed to arm or erect, extending laterally, subequal, and 0.5–1 times as long as one arm segment, blunt, flattened.

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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