Published March 31, 2022 | Version v1
Taxonomic treatment Open

Ophioplinthus undetermined

  • 1. Museums Victoria, GPO Box 666 E, Melbourne, 3001, AUSTRALIA,
  • 2. Natural History Museum of Luxembourg, 24 Rue Münster, 2160 Luxembourg

Description

Ophioplinthus sp. juvenile

Fig. 3F–H

Material examined. MD 50 DC34, MNHN IE.2009.1619 (1).

Remarks. The 4 mm dd specimen is a juvenile which makes identification problematic. It has the classic Ophioplinthus characters of reduced DAPs (Fig. 3G), fragmented oral shield and small inconspicuous tube feet (Fig. 3H). It has the second oral tentacle pore well outside of the jaw slit, two spiniform tentacle scales on the first arm segment and one on the next two, thereafter none (Fig. 3H). The tentacle pores become progressively inconspicuous down the arm. The dorsal disc is dominated by the six primary plates, two interradial scales and some small intercalary scales. There are small DAPs on the first two segments free of the disc. The surface of the LAPs appears to be beaded. There is one, rarely two, short arm spines. DNA barcode evidence indicates that there are numerous cryptic species of Ophioplinthus in the Southern Ocean (O’Hara et al. 2013). The problem of identification is compounded by the presence of either a hydroid (Hydractinia) or sponge (Iophon) that grows (parasitically?) on some lineages, altering the growth of the external plates.

Notes

Published as part of O'Hara, Timothy D. & Thuy, Ben, 2022, Biogeography and taxonomy of Ophiuroidea (Echinodermata) from the Îles Saint- Paul and Amsterdam in the southern Indian Ocean, pp. 1-49 in Zootaxa 5124 (1) on page 10, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5124.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/6404674

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Linked records

Additional details

Biodiversity

References

  • O'Hara, T. D., Smith, P. J., Mills, V. S., Smirnov, A. V. & Steinke, D. (2013) Biogeographical and phylogeographical relationships of the bathyal ophiuroid fauna of the Macquarie Ridge, Southern Ocean. Polar Biology, 36, 321 - 333. https: // doi. org / 10.1007 / s 00300 - 012 - 1261 - 9