Placophiothrix purpurea, von Martens, 1867

Okanishi, Masanori & Fujita, Yoshihisa, 2019, A comprehensive taxonomic list of brittle stars (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea) from submarine caves of the Ryukyu Islands, southwestern Japan, with a description of a rare species, Dougaloplus echinatus (Amphiuridae), Zootaxa 4571 (1), pp. 73-98 : 83

Ophiothrix purpurea von Martens, 1867

[Japanese name: Akatoge-kumohitode]

( Fig. 8A )

Ophiothrix purpurea von Martens 1867: 346 .— Lyman 1879: 54; 1882: 223.— Studer 1882: 26.— Koehler 1905: 102; 1907a: 337; 1922: 261, 262, pl. 58, figs 3, 4; 1930: 148, 149.

Placophiothrix purpurea . H. L. Clark 1938: 86.

Ophiothrix (Acanthophiothrix) purpurea . A. M. Clark 1967: 648.— A. M. Clark & Rowe 1971: 84, 112, fig. 35d, 36, pl. 15, fig. 11.— Devaney 1974: 141, 142.— Gibbs et al. 1976: 127.— Cherbonnier & Guille 1978: 148, figs 61-5, 6, pl. 4, figs 5, 6.— Guille & Jangoux 1978: 62.— Sloan et al. 1979: 103.— Irimura 1981: 32.— Guille 1981: 446, pl. 6, figs 36, 37.— Marsh 1986: 71.— McKnight 1989a: 12; 1989b: 26.— Marsh et al. 1993: 61.— Liao & A. M. Clark 1995: 241.— Rowe & Gates 1995: 424.— Price & Rowe 1996: 75.— Irimura & Tachikawa 2002: 11.—Okanishi 2016: 672.

Ophiothrix fallax de Loriol 1893a: 47, pl. 25, fig. 2.— H. L. Clark 1915: 280.

Ophiothrix lorioli Döderlein 1896: 297, pl. 14, fig. 3, pl. 17, fig. 24.— Koehler 1905: 103.— H. L. Clark 1915: 281.

Material examined. Ie Island (RUMF-ZE-02042[1], RUMF-ZE-02043[1]): “entrance” of the “Unnamed cave”, approximately 20 m depth, under coral rubble, 8 September 2016 (RUMF-ZE-02042), 24 June 2017 (RUMF-ZE- 02043).

Distribution. Widely distributed in Indo-West Pacific. Depth range 2–1046 m.

Remarks. This species is identified as Ophiothrix purpurea by virtue of having: long aboral most arm spine exceeding five or more times longer than corresponding arms segment on proximal portion of the arm; bearing radial shields without any spines nor stamps; a median dark line running along each ram aborally; more or less numerous spines on aboral disc (e.g. A. M. Clark & Rowe, 1971).

Figures

FIGURE 8. Aboral views of living specimens. A, Ophiothrix purpurea von Martens, 1867 (RUMF-ZE-02042); B, Ophiothrix aff. picteti (RUMF-ZE-02044); C, Ophionereis dubia amoyensis A. M. Clark, 1953 (RUMF-ZE-02046); D, Ophionereis fusca Brock, 1888 (RUMF-ZE-02049); E, Ophionereis porrecta Lyman, 1860 (RUMF-ZE-02054); F, Ophionereis tigris H. L. Clark, 1938 (RUMF-ZE-02045); G, Ophiolepis cavitata Okanishi & Fujita, 2018a (RUMF-ZE-02059); H, Ophiolepis cincta Müller & Troschel, 1842 (RUMF-ZE-02058).