New records and new species of Ophiuroidea (Echinodermata) from Lifou, Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia
Author
Stöhr, Sabine
text
Zootaxa
2011
3089
1
50
journal article
46062
10.5281/zenodo.279037
9be0b0af-4593-4eaf-85c6-438539d8fbd0
1175-5326
279037
Ophiomusium luetkeni
Lyman, 1878
Fig. 21
D–F
Ophiomusium luetkeni
Lyman, 1878
: 114
, pl. 5 figs 138–140; Guille 1981: 453;
Guille & Vadon 1986
: 173
–174.
Ophiomusium impurum
Koehler, 1904
: 64
, pl. 10 figs 8–10 [new synonymy].
Material.
Sta. CP1646: 20 spms; sta. DW1650C: 1 spm.
Comparative material.
Ophiomusium impurum
(possibly
syntype
, but status unclear),
MNHN
Ec Os 22102, 8 mm dd,
Indonesia
, Sunda Islands.
Remarks.
The disk of
O
.
luetkeni
has a high, boxy appearance and a conspicuously large marginal plate in each interradius, with a prominent transverse ridge. It is distinguished from other species of
Ophiomusium
by the small spine on the dorsal part of the lateral arm plate. These spines have fallen off in most of the specimens at hand, but the articulation is clearly visible.
Koehler (1930)
failed to notice the similarity between his
O
.
impurum
and
O
.
luetkeni
, maintaining both, but in recent works
O
.
luetkeni
was used, without synonymizing them. The putative
type
of
O
.
impurum
cannot be distinguished from the description of
O
.
luetkeni
. O'Hara confirmed their conspecificity after examining both
types
(personal communication).