Ophiacantha vilis

F 60293.

Family - Ophiacanthidae.

Description

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

The ventral interradial surface is plated. The oral shields are exposed, bell shaped or diamond (diamond with concave sides), 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 or wider than long, with one, pointed or tapering apical papilla, as wide as long, with thorns. Oral papillae are present along each jaw angle in a series, pointed or rounded, thorned. The oral tentacle pore is located inside the jaw, with distal oral papilla similar to other oral papillae or enlarged, and rounded.

The specimen has five arms, unbranched, basally constricted, 3–4 times d.d. Dorsal arm plates, separated, without spines/granules; fan-shaped, and 0.85–0.95 times long as wide. The second ventral arm plates are separated from the third plate, fan-shaped, notched or concave laterally, and 0.65–0.75 times long as wide. Ventral arm plates of the first free segments separated, oval or pentagonal (oval pointed proximally and notched distally or square pentagon pointed proximally), and 0.85–0.95 times long as wide. Tentacle pores along the arm, with one scale, covering the pore, pointed (thorned and as long as the segment plate). There are 2 arm spines on the first ventral segment, 5 on the first free segments. The spines are erect, extending around to the dorsal surface, subequal, and 0.5–2 times as long as one arm segment, pointed or blunt, cylindrical. There are 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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