Ophiura flagellata

F 80831, 80883.

Family - Ophiuridae.

Description

The disc is flat, 30 mm diameter. The radial shields are covered. The dorsal surface is covered by skin; primary plates not visible. Arm comb present, with papillae long pointed spiniform, 2 or more time long as wide, separated radially.

The ventral interradial surface is with skin. The oral shields are exposed, pentagonal or arrow head shaped, as long as 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, bordered by spines or papillae, pointed narrow spiniform, 3 or more times long as wide. The jaw is as wide as long or wider than long, with one or two, pointed or tapering apical papilla, longer than wide. Oral papillae are present along each jaw angle in a series, quadrangular. 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, 3–5 times d.d. Dorsal arm plates, contiguous, without spines/granules; oval or quadrangular, and 0.25–0.4 times long as wide. The second ventral arm plates are contiguous with the third plate, fan-shaped, and 0.4–0.5 times long as wide. Ventral arm plates of the first free segments separated or contiguous, diamond (concaved edges), and 0.3–0.5 times long as wide. Tentacle pores along the arm, with several scales as a ring of many scales around the pore, reducing in number, covering the pore, oval. There are 0–2 arm spines on the first ventral segment, 2–3 on the first free segments. The spines are adpressed to arm, extending around to the dorsal surface or extending laterally, subequal, and 1–2 times as long as one arm segment, pointed, cylindrical. There are thorns, in longitudinal series on the surface from the base to the tip of the spine, 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"
Information updated 5 February 2010

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