Ophiopristis Verrill, 1899

Martynov, Alexander, 2010, Reassessment of the classification of the Ophiuroidea (Echinodermata), based on morphological characters. I. General character evaluation and delineation of the families Ophiomyxidae and Ophiacanthidae 2697, Zootaxa 2697, pp. 1-154 : 85-86

Genus Ophiopristis Verrill, 1899

Figures 57C–D, F; 58–60

Ophiopristis Verrill, 1899: 39 , 40

Type species: Ophiacantha hirsuta Lyman, 1875 , by original designation

Diagnosis. The disk is covered with numerous small, uniform scales; a skin layer is not evident. The dorsal disk surface is covered with long, densely spaced spinelets. The radial shields are well-defined, elongated, but concealed under the disk plates. The adradial and abradial genital plates are well-defined. The genital slits are long and conspicuous, genital plates border approximately half of the slits. The articulation surface of the radial shield is a broad, low elevation. The jaw bears numerous short conical oral papillae similar in shape to the single (or double) apical papillae. The adoral shield papillae and adjacent oral papillae are slightly longer than other oral papillae. The half-jaws are relatively low. The adradial sides of the half-jaws distally bear a few convoluted folds. The dental plate is elongated without folds and with few elongate narrow slit-shaped sockets, alternately placed. The sockets for the apical papillae are similar in shape to all others. The teeth are broad, conical to rectangular. There are 1–2 ventralmost teeth. Generally all teeth are similar in shape, but the dorsalmost teeth are usually longer. The oral shield is broadly arrow-shaped with a short distal lobe. The adoral shields have distal wings, proximally tapered. Dorsal and ventral arm plates are well developed. The arm spine articulations are placed at a small angle in relation to the lateral plate. The muscle opening is larger than the nerve opening. There is a volute-shaped perforated lobe occupying the dorsal and distal part of the articulation. The sigmoidal fold is well-defined. The proximal edge of the spine articulation is entire but connected with the main part of the lateral arm plate by a short ridge. The arm spines are relatively long, rounded, hollow over almost their entire length, not hooked distally. Tentacle scales are well-defined, oval or lanceolate, single or double. The tentacle pores of moderate size. The vertebrae have a narrow keel that is distally abruptly truncated; the dorsal medial furrow is moderately expressed. The articulation is zygospondylous. Podial basins are moderate in size.

Material studied. Ophiopristis hirsuta ( Lyman, 1875) , Holotype MCZ 1950 ( Figs 57C–D, F); USNM 6429 , 1 specimen ( Fig. 58); Ophiopristis luctosa (Koehler, 1904) , MNHN EcOs 22978–22979, 2 specimens ( Fig. 59); Ophiopristis procera (Koehler, 1904) , Syntype EcOs 20406 ( Fig. 60); Ophiopristis dissidens ( Koehler, 1905) , MNHN EcOs 22478, 4 specimens .

Remarks. O’Hara & Stöhr (2006) recently reviewed the genus Ophiopristis and further delineated it from other ophiacanthid genera, initially suggested by Paterson (1985). Among the species included into this genus, a small Australian species O. axiologus differs considerably from all previously known species by bottleshaped arm spines, disk covered with short stellate stumps instead of relatively long spinelets and possibly represents another genus ( O’Hara & Stöhr 2006). Ophiopristis axiologus is therefore not included in the key below.

There are a number of species of the genus Ophiacantha , which possess characters similar to Ophiopristis , including long numerous spinelets and the pattern of the oral papillae, for instance O. hylacantha H.L. Clark, 1911 or O. atopostoma H.L. Clark, 1911 . H.L. Clark (1915), while creating Ophioprium and delineating it from Verrill’s Ophiopristis , noted that the former differs considerably from other ophiacanthids, whereas Ophiopristis should be considered as a synonym of Ophiacantha . The situation needs further study, involving delineation of the more than 130 currently known Ophiacantha species from some other ophiacanthid genera.

Number of species: 8.