Ophiopleura inermis

F 159784.

Family - Ophiuridae.

Description

The disc is flat, 13 mm diameter. The radial shields are covered or triangular with rounded corners, separated and parallel to one another, with 1–3 plates between them; 0.9–1.1 times long as wide, and length 0.18 times d.d. The dorsal surface is covered by plates, no spines/granules, with a visible diameter of 0.4–0.7 mm, overlapping; primary plates not visible.

The ventral interradial surface is plated. The oral shields are exposed, pentagonal or arrow head shaped, wider than long. 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 longer than wide or as wide as long, with one or two, pointed or tapering apical papilla, longer than wide. Oral papillae are present along each jaw angle in a series, rounded or 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; quadrangular or fan-shaped, and 0.4–0.7 times long as wide. The second ventral arm plates are contiguous with the third plate, pentagonal, and 0.6–0.7 times long as wide. Ventral arm plates of the first free segments separated, fan-shaped or squashed teardrop or diamond, and 0.55–0.85 times long as wide. Tentacle pores along the arm, with several scales as a ring of many scales around the pore, reducing in number (on first few segments decreasing in number distally along the arm), not covering the pore, oval. There are 1–2 arm spines on the first ventral segment, 2–3 on the first free segments. The spines are adpressed to arm, extending laterally, subequal, and 0.25–0.75 times as long as one arm segment, pointed or blunt, cylindrical.

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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