Ophiopthalmus relictus

F 80811.

Family - Ophiacanthidae.

Description

The disc is flat, 11 mm diameter. The radial shields are triangular with rounded corners (with rounded distal edge), separated and parallel to one another, with 1–3 plates between them; 0.9–1.1 times long as wide, and length 0.12 times d.d. The dorsal surface is covered by plates, bearing spines/granules, with a visible diameter of 0.5–1.2 mm, overlapping or touching; primary plates not visible. Disc spines or granules of one type, cylindrical or dome-shaped, with 1 terminal point/thorn or 2 terminal points/thorns or 3 terminal points/thorns. The spines are up to 0.05–0.2 mm long, and 0.6–1 times high as wide; sparsely distributed.

The ventral interradial surface is with skin-covered plates. The oral shields are exposed, teardrop, 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, not bordered by spines or papillae. The jaw is as wide as long, with one or two, pointed or tapering apical papilla, as wide as long. Oral papillae separated by a gap from apical papillae, pointed, thorned. The oral tentacle pore is located inside the jaw, with distal oral papilla similar to other oral papillae.

The specimen has five arms, unbranched, moniliform, 4–6 times d.d. Dorsal arm plates, contiguous becoming separate, with spines/granules or without spines/granules (sometimes granules), clustered on the basal dorsal arm plates; diamond or pentagonal, and 0.9–1.1 times long as wide. The second ventral arm plates are separated from the third plate, fan-shaped, and 0.45–0.6 times long as wide. Ventral arm plates of the first free segments separated, fan-shaped or diamond, and 0.85–1.1 times long as wide. Tentacle pores along the arm, with one scale, not 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 or extending laterally, subequal or longest dorsally, 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. Spines also ventral spine specialised (with clear shaft and prominant thorns).

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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