Ophiacantha otagoensis

F 110577.

Family - Ophiacanthidae.

Description

The disc is flat, 3 mm diameter. The radial shields are covered. The dorsal surface is covered by plates, bearing spines/granules, with a visible diameter of 0.1–0.2 mm, overlapping; primary plates not visible. Disc spines or granules of one type, cylindrical, with 2 terminal points/thorns or 3 terminal points/thorns or multiple, more than 3, terminal points/thorns, with thorns in the mid region (sometimes). The spines are up to 0.1 mm long, and 3–5 times high as wide; densely distributed.

The ventral interradial surface is plated. The oral shields are exposed, fan shaped, wider than long. The adoral shields are exposed, extending to lateral edge of oral shield, separated radially, meeting interradially. Bursal slits absent. The jaw is wider than long, with one, pointed or tapering apical papilla, as wide as long, with thorns. Oral papillae separated by a gap from apical papillae, pointed, thorned. The oral tentacle pore is located inside the jaw, with distal oral papilla enlarged, and rounded.

The specimen has five arms, unbranched, basally constricted, 3–5 times d.d. Dorsal arm plates (specimen not intact), separated, without spines/granules; diamond or fan-shaped, and 0.8–1 times long as wide. The second ventral arm plates are separated from the third plate, diamond or fan-shaped or pentagonal, notched or concave laterally, and 0.8 times long as wide. Ventral arm plates of the first free segments separated, oval (pointed proximally), and 0.8 times long as wide. Tentacle pores along the arm, with one scale, covering the pore, pointed. There are 2–3 arm spines on the first ventral segment, 5 on the first free segments. The spines are erect, extending around to the dorsal surface, longest dorsally, and 1–3 times as long as one arm segment, blunt, cylindrical. There are thorns or serated, all along the spine, glassy transparent 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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