Ophiosphalma jolliense ( McClendon, 1909 )

Granja-Fernández, Rebeca, Hendrickx, Michel E., Rangel-Solís, Pedro Diego & López-Pérez, Andrés, 2023, Deep-sea Ophiuroidea (Echinodermata) collected during the TALUD cruises in western Mexico, Zootaxa 5259 (1), pp. 1-71 : 17-18

Ophiosphalma jolliense ( McClendon, 1909)

Fig. 3A‒F

Ophiomusium jolliensis McClendon, 1909: 36 , figs. 2‒3.

Ophiomusium jolliense . H.L. Clark 1923: 154.

Ophiosphalma jolliense . Hendler 1996: 164‒167, fig. 7.20a‒b.— Baker 2016: 33 , fig. 53a‒b.— Lambert & Boutillier 2011: 48, fig. 34.

Material examined. 31 individuals at seven stations. TALUD VIII, Sta. 11, 2 ind. (ICML-EMU-11058). TALUD XII, Sta. 23, 2 ind. (ICML-EMU-11057-A); Sta. 27, 3 ind. (ICML-EMU-11057-B) and 4 ind. (ICML-EMU-11057- C); Sta. 28, 4 ind. (ICML-EMU-11690). TALUD XV, Sta. 1, 2 ind. (ICML-EMU-11947-A); Sta. 23, 1 ind. (ICML-EMU-11947-B). TALUD XVIB, Sta. 28, 1 ind. (ICML-EMU-11059-A) and 12 ind. (ICML-EMU-11059-B).

Comparative material. Possible type, 1 ind.: MCZ OPH-7048 (Supplementary file 2). The type material of Ophiosphalma jolliense was collected at three stations near San Diego and La Jolla, California, USA ( McClendon 1909) . This material is supposed to be deposited in the holdings of the University of California Museum ( McClendon 1909); nevertheless, despite the exhaustive search for this material, it could not be located in this museum (pers. comm. Erica Clites & Carole Hickman 2018) or in any other institutions (i.e., LACM, MCZ, NHMD, USNM; pers. comm. Penny Benson 2016, Rich Mooi 2018). Baker (2016) designated lot MCZ OPH- 7048 as the holotype of O. jolliense , referring to the following: “This specimen was labeled ‒ O. clarkii McClendon ‒ there is no such species, and I assume McClendon decided on a different name for this species after writing a label. No locality data was on the label, but five examples of this species were collected at stations off Southern California at 115‒603 m, of which one must have been McClendon’s type”. During our study, we examined this lot, which contained the following original label: “Univ. Calif.- Dept. Zool. Ophiomusium clarkii, McClendon , 10”. According to the original description and figures, it certainly corresponds to O. jolliense . Baker´s arguments, however, are insufficient to determine whether or not this material corresponds to the original type series. According to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature ( ICZN 1999), Article 73.1, a holotype is a unique specimen on which a new nominal taxon of the species level is based in the original publication (i.e., McClendon 1909); therefore, specimen MCZ OPH- 7048 could not be designated as the holotype of O. jolliense by Baker (2016).At this moment, we consider that the status of the type material of O. jolliense cannot be resolved until the material used in the original description is located and corroborate whether specimen MCZ OPH- 7048 belongs to it.

Description (ICML-EMU-11059-B). DD = 11 mm. Whole-body with tuberculous appearance. Disc pentagonal and flat. Dorsal disc covered with imbricated, irregular scales. Primary plates conspicuous, round, separated from each other. RS longer than broad, oval, separated by 3‒4 elongated scales, one quadrangular plate with rounded edges between each pair of RS, covering 1/3 of disc radius ( Fig. 3A ). Ventral interradii covered by oval, imbricated scales, slightly larger than dorsal scales. Genital slits with numerous minute quadrangular papillae ( Fig. 3B ). OSh longer than broad, elongated spearhead-shaped with distal lobe, rounded angles. Madreporite not evident. AdSh longer than broad, elongated, meeting in front of OSh. Jaws bearing 5‒6 papillae at each side, quadrangular, merged, two distalmost the largest; one pointed papilla at jaw tips ( Fig. 3C ). Arms thin, gradually narrowing distally. Dorsal arm base with 3‒4 imbricated DAP, with a granular appearance, projecting ventrally. DAP slightly broader than long, rhombic, proximally meeting, gradually separating and decreasing in size distally ( Fig. 3D ). First VAP smaller than rest; subsequent three VAP the largest (almost covering all arm segment length), separated from each other, the only ones with tentacle pores; posterior VAP triangular, reduced in size (approximately 1/3 arm segment in length), separated from each other. First LAP with two ArSp, separated; subsequent LAP with three ArSp, short (approximately 1/5 LAP in length). Three tentacle pores with one round TSc covering almost all the pore ( Fig. 3E ). Color pattern beige-whitish ( Fig. 3A‒F ). RS and primary plates darker than the rest of the body (ethanol preservation) ( Fig. 3A ).

Habitat and distribution. From British Columbia, Canada to Colima, Mexico; one doubtful record off the Galapagos Islands; 155‒ 2,105 m depth ( Hendler 1996; Lambert & Boutillier 2011; see Remarks), muddy substrates (H.L. Clark 1923). The material examined was collected off western Baja California and Baja California Sur, in the southern Gulf of California, and off Colima; 530‒ 1,532 m depth.

Remarks. Hendler (2018) mentioned that Ophiosphalma jolliense has tooth papillae but did not provide information for the other oral papillae. For this reason, it was not possible to designate all oral papillae using the correct terminology in the present description and, for this matter, for any species included in Ophiosphalma . Ophiosphalma jolliense has been previously recorded off western Baja California Sur and in the southern Gulf of California (GranjaFernández et al. 2015). Present records off western Baja California and Colima extend its distribution in Mexico to the north (to 31º22′00″N; 117º01′60″W) and to the south (to 18º33′43″N; 103º57′45″W), respectively.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Ophiosphalma jolliense (McClendon, 1909) (ICML-EMU-11059-B, DD = 11 mm).A, Dorsal disc; B, Ventral disc; C, Mouth; D, Dorsal arm; E, Ventral arm; F, Dorsal view. Ophiosphalma variabile (Lütken & Mortensen, 1899) (ICML-EMU- 11220, DD = 12 mm). G, Dorsal disc; H, Ventral disc; I, Mouth; J, Dorsal arm; K, Ventral arm; L, Dorsal view.