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Ophiocentrus pilosa

F 101752, 101728.

Family - Amphiuridae.



Description

The disc is flat, 9 mm diameter. The radial shields are elongated oval, contiguous distally, divergent proximally, with 1–3 plates between them; 2.5–3.5 times long as wide, and length 0.18 times d.d. The dorsal surface is covered by plates, bearing spines/granules, obscured by skin, with a visible diameter of 0.15–0.25 mm, overlapping; primary plates visible. Disc spines or granules of one type, cylindrical or conical, and glassy transparent shaft, with thorns at the tip. The spines are up to 0.2–0.3 mm long, and 4–7 times high as wide; sparsely distributed or restricted to regions of the disc (not present on radial shields).

The ventral interradial surface is with skin-covered plates. The oral shields are exposed, circular or fan shaped, wider than long. The adoral shields are exposed, extending to lateral edge of oral shield, separated radially, separated interradially. Bursal slits reduced, not bordered by spines or papillae. The jaw is as wide as long, with two, pointed or tapering apical papilla, as wide as long. Oral papillae separated by a gap from apical papillae, pointed or quadrangular. The oral tentacle pore is located out of the jaw on top of the ventral disc, with a line of scales on one side of the pore.

The specimen has five arms, unbranched, moniliform, 12–14 times d.d. Dorsal arm plates, contiguous, without spines/granules; oval or fan-shaped, and 0.55–0.65 times long as wide. The second ventral arm plates are contiguous with the third plate, quadrangular, notched or concave laterally, and 1.5–1.7 times long as wide. Ventral arm plates of the first free segments contiguous, quadrangular (distal edge concave, proximal edge convex), notched or concave laterally, and 1.1–1.4 times long as wide. Tentacle pores along the arm, with no scales. There are 1–3 arm spines on the first ventral segment, 4–5 on the first free segments. The spines are erect, extending laterally, subequal, and 1–1.5 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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