Ophiacantha vepratica

F 82528, 144682.

Family - Ophiacanthidae.

Description

The disc is flat, 8 mm diameter. The radial shields are covered. The dorsal surface is covered by plates, bearing spines/granules, with a visible diameter of 0.5–0.6 mm, overlapping; primary plates not visible. Disc spines or granules of multiple types (3 types), cylindrical or lanceolate or conical (sometimes lanceolate), with thorns all over. The spines are up to 0.7–1.2 mm long, and 4–8 times high as wide; densely distributed or restricted to regions of the disc (mainly centralised). The second type of spines/granules on the disc are cylindrical or conical, with multiple, more than 3, terminal points/thorns, and thorns all over, spines/granules up to 0.1–0.3 mm long, 1–2 times high as wide, covering all the disc, obscuring the surface beneath.

The ventral interradial surface is plated. The oral shields are exposed, teardrop or fan shaped, wider than long or 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, not bordered by spines or papillae. The jaw is as wide as long, with one, pointed or tapering apical papilla, longer than wide. Oral papillae separated by a gap from apical papillae, pointed. The oral tentacle pore is located inside the jaw (out), with distal oral papilla similar to other oral papillae or enlarged, and triangular.

The specimen has five arms, unbranched, moniliform or basally constricted, 4–6 times d.d. Dorsal arm plates, separated, with spines/granules, clustered on the basal dorsal arm plates; fan-shaped, and 0.7–0.85 times long as wide. The second ventral arm plates are separated from the third plate, fan-shaped, notched or concave laterally, and 0.4–0.7 times long as wide. Ventral arm plates of the first free segments separated, fan-shaped, notched or concave laterally, and 0.55–0.75 times long as wide. Tentacle pores along the arm, with one scale, covering the pore, leaf-shaped or pointed (as long as arm plate). There are 2–4 arm spines on the first ventral segment, 7–8 on the first free segments. The spines are erect, extending around to the dorsal surface, longest dorsally, and 2–3 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, 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

MUSEUMVICTORIA