New brittlestars (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea) from New Zealand waters
Author
Mcknight, Donald G.
text
Zootaxa
2003
352
1
36
journal article
51250
10.5281/zenodo.156750
db5a5512-bcdb-4bc0-8221-049102f18639
11755326
156750
Ophiura
(
Ophiura
) Lamarck, 1816
Remarks
: Within the genus
Ophiura
there is a group of species with a secondary arm comb, relatively numerous disc scales, sometimes also with small disc spines, elongate and separated radial shields, dorsal armplates in contact for much of the arm, but ventral armplates separated from near the base. Within this group are four species with large disc scales:
O. albida
(Forbes)
,
O. imprudens
(Koehler)
,
O. robusta
Koehler
and
O. quadrispina
H.L. Clark
; and five with small, more numerous disc scales:
O. aequalis
Lyman
,
O. bathybia
H.L. Clark
,
O. leptoctenia
H.L. Clark
,
O. ljungmani
Lyman
and
O. sarsi
Lutken.
These species differ from those assigned to
Dictenophiura
in having radial shields separated throughout their length and more numerous disc scales, usually with the primaries little enlarged and are referred to
Ophiura
(
Ophiura
)
pending revision of this unwieldy genus.