Ophiolycus farquhari

F 162603.

Family - Ophiomyxidae.

Description

The disc is flat, 5 mm diameter. The radial shields are covered. The dorsal surface is covered by skin; primary plates not visible.

The ventral interradial surface is with skin. The oral shields are covered in skin. The adoral shields are covered in skin. Bursal slits absent. The jaw is as wide as long, with one or two, pointed or tapering apical papilla, longer than wide, with thorns. Oral papillae are present along each jaw angle in a series, pointed, thorned. The oral tentacle pore is located inside the jaw, with distal oral papilla enlarged, and triangular.

The specimen has five arms, unbranched, moniliform, 3–5 times d.d. Dorsal arm plates not visible, covered by skin, without spines/granules. The second ventral arm plates are not visible, covered by skin. Ventral arm plates of the first free segments not visible, covered. Tentacle pores along the arm, with no scales. There are 0–1 arm spines on the first ventral segment, 3–4 on the first free segments. The spines are erect, extending laterally, subequal, and 1–2 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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