Ophiactis savignyi ( Mueller & Troschel, 1842)

Granja-Fernandez, Rebeca, Herrero-Perezrul, Maria D., Lopez-Perez, Ramon A., Hernandez, Luis, Rodriguez-Zaragoza, Fabian A., Jones, Robert Wallace & Pineda-Lopez, Ruben, 2014, Ophiuroidea (Echinodermata) from coral reefs in the Mexican Pacific, ZooKeys 406, pp. 101-145 : 116-118

Ophiactis savignyi ( Mueller & Troschel, 1842) Figure 3 G–L

Description.

Disk rounded (dd = 1.1 to 5 mm) and covered by large imbricated scales and short scattered spines over and at the edge of disk. Radial shields large, triangular and joining distally (Fig. 3J). Ventral interradius with scales and scattered spines (Fig. 3K). Oral shields diamond shaped with rounded edges. Adoral shields small and not meeting proximally. Two flattened oral papillae in each side of the jaw (Fig. 3L). Five or six arms. Dorsal arm plates wider than long with rounded edges (Fig. 3H). Ventral arm plates quadrangular with rounded edges. Five to six short, rugose and spinulose arm spines. Single, rounded, lanceolated tentacle scale (Fig. 3I). Color of the disk olive greenish-brown, with darker radial shields (Fig. 3G). Ventral side cream (Fig. 3K).

Distribution.

Cosmopolitan. Indo-Pacific, Eastern Pacific and both sides of the Atlantic. In the Eastern Pacific, the species has been recorded in the Hawaiian Islands, Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Galapagos Islands and Peru ( Clark HL 1915, Nielsen 1932, Maluf 1988, Hendler et al. 1995, Alvarado and Fernández 2005, Neira and Cantera 2005). In Mexico from the Gulf of California, on the Pacific side of Baja California and Baja California Sur, Nayarit, Marías Islands, Jalisco, Colima, Revillagigedo Islands, Michoacán, Guerrero and Oaxaca ( Brusca 1980, Honey-Escandón et al. 2008). Commonly found in shallow water up to 518 m ( Hendler et al. 1995). In this study, Ophiactis savignyi was collected on coral reefs from Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima, Michoacán, Guerrero and Oaxaca; between 2.3 to 26 m depth.

Remarks.

This small species is one of the most abundant on the coral reefs from the Mexican Pacific. Emson and Wilkie (1984) suggested that the sexual and asexual reproduction is important for the abundance and distribution of Ophiactis savignyi ; small populations of this fissiparous brittle star may be increased by sexual reproduction. We found the species attached to live stony coral, dead coral, rock, algae, rhodoliths and sponges. Hendler et al. (1995) mentioned that this species is commonly found in all reef zones and substrata reported in this study, chiefly in sponges and algae. Ophiactis savignyi is a well-studied species; there are numerous works about its reproduction (e.g. Emson and Wilkie 1984, Hendler 1991, Chao and Tsai 1995, McGovern 2002), feeding (e.g. Boffi 1972, Emson and Mladenov 1992) and habitat (e.g. Boffi 1972, Sloan 1982, Hendler and Littman 1986, Neves et al. 2007). Other authors ( Hendler et al. 1995, Pomory 2007) have reported that Ophiactis savignyi can have three oral papillae on each side of the mouth; most of the collected individuals in this study presented two oral papillae, with a few specimens presenting three.

Collected material.

NAYARIT: Bahía Rabijuncos (15 specimens, stony coral, 08/06/2011, ICML-UNAM 10433); Las Monas (18 specimens, stony coral, 17/06/2010, ICML-UNAM 10357).

JALISCO:Isla Cocinas (1 specimen, stony coral, 29/09/2010, ICML-UNAM 10327); Pelícanos (2 specimens, rock, 29/09/2010, ICML-UNAM 10318; 4 specimens, stony coral, 29/09/2010, ICML-UNAM 10319); La Pajarera (1 specimen, rhodolith, 29/09/2010, ICML-UNAM 10307); La Palma (1 specimen, stony coral, 29/09/2010, ICML-UNAM 10324); La Virgencita (18 specimens, stony coral, 30/09/2010, ICML-UNAM 10340).

COLIMA:Carrizales (2 specimens, 01/10/2010, ICML-UNAM 10349).

MICHOACÁN:Faro de Bucerías (4 specimens, 28/09/2010, ICML-UNAM 10296); Isla Pájaros (13 specimens, stony coral, 28/09/2010, ICML-UNAM 10290).

GUERRERO:Morro del Cerro Colorado (12 specimens, stony coral, 3 m, 30/11/2010, UMAR-MHN 005-4436; 4 specimens, sponge, 30/11/2010, ICML-UNAM 10364; 1 specimen, rock, 5.5 m, 31/05/2012, ICML-UNAM 10562; 11 specimens, dead coral, 3 m, 31/05/2012, ICML-UNAM 10563); Coral (1 specimen, rock, 5 m, 23/11/2011, ICML-UNAM 10491); Zacatoso (4 specimens, rock, 02/03/2009, ICML-UNAM 10176; 27 specimens, stony coral, 9.1 m, 01/12/2010, UMAR-MHN 005-4432; 16 specimens, algae, 2.3 m, 01/12/2010, ICML-UNAM 10377; 5 specimens, sponge, 02/12/2010, ICML-UNAM 10373; 8 specimens, algae, 5 m, 02/12/2010, ICML-UNAM 10382; 1 specimen, rock, 25/11/2011, ICML-UNAM 10505; 2 specimens, sponge, 9.1 m, 01/06/2012, ICML-UNAM 10577); Caleta de Chón (23 specimens, stony coral, 6.1 m, 02/12/2010, UMAR-MHN 005-4421; 10 specimens, stony coral, 4.6 m, 02/12/2010, UMAR-MHN 005-4452; 1 specimen, rock, 5 m, 22/11/2011, ICML-UNAM 10474); Manzanillo (38 specimens, sponge, 05/03/2009, ICML-UNAM 10191; 1 specimen, rock, 05/11/2009, ICML-UNAM 10238; 3 specimens, stony coral, 05/11/2009, ICML-UNAM 10239; 1 specimen, stony coral, 3 m, 04/12/2010, UMAR-MHN 005-4464; 2 specimens, rhodolith, 5.3 m, 04/12/2010, ICML-UNAM 10412; 4 specimens, rock, 6 m, 22/11/2011, ICML-UNAM 10468; 6 specimens, dead coral, 6.1 m, 30/05/2012, ICML-UNAM 10548; 6 specimens, sponge, 6.1 m, 30/05/2012, ICML-UNAM 10549); Morros de Potosí (1 specimen, rock, 06/03/2009, ICML-UNAM 10199; 3 specimens, sponge, 06/03/2009, ICML-UNAM 10200; 1 specimen, stony coral, 11.7 m, 01/09/2010, ICML-UNAM 10261; 26 specimens, stony coral, 6.1 m, 03/12/2010, MHN 005-4427; 9 specimens, stony coral, 10.7 m, 03/12/2010, MHN 005-4474; 16 specimens, stony coral, 7.6 m, 03/12/2010, MHN 005-4478; 3 specimens, algae, 12.2 m, 03/12/2010, ICML-UNAM 10391; 1 specimen, sponge, 03/12/2010, ICML-UNAM 10397; 1 specimen, rock, 03/12/2010, ICML-UNAM 10400); Palmitas (2 specimens, stony coral, 3.6 m, 03/09/2010, ICML-UNAM 10265; 1 specimen, algae, 6.4 m, 20/11/2011, ICML-UNAM 10453; 2 specimens, sponge, 6.4 m, 20/11/2011, ICML-UNAM 10454); El Ripial (1 specimen, 20/11/2011, ICML-UNAM 10462).

OAXACA:Carrizalillo (29 specimens, sponge, 4.2 m, 24/04/2012, ICML-UNAM 10520); Punto de Presión (13 specimens, sponge, 26 m, 22/04/2009, ICML-UNAM 10208); El Faro (3 specimens, rock, 22.8 m, 22/04/2009, ICML-UNAM 10213; 2 specimens, rock, 23/04/2009, ICML-UNAM 10228; 31 specimens, rock, 13.5 m, 24/04/2012, ICML-UNAM 10514); Mazunte (2 specimens, rock, 20/02/2009, MHN 005-4323); Estacahuite (17 specimens, stony coral, 7.6 m, 26/03/2010, MHN 005-4407; 2 specimens, stony coral, 8.8 m, 26/03/2010, MHN 005-4403; 7 specimens, stony coral, 9.7 m, 26/03/2010, MHN 005-4399); Salchi (2 specimens, stony coral, 6.1 m, 26/03/2010, MHN 005-4414); San Agustín (13 specimens, stony coral, 3.3 m, 23/02/2010, MHN 005-4394); Maguey (1 specimen, stony coral, 3.5 m, 06/09/2010, ICML-UNAM 10274); La Entrega (3 specimens, dead coral, 03/12/2008, MHN 005-4326); Manzanilla (3 specimens, dead coral, 3 m, 18/05/2012, ICML-UNAM 10523); Isla Montosa (1 specimens, stony coral, 5.8 m, 22/02/2010, MHN 005-4384; 1 specimen, stony coral, 6.1 m, 22/02/2010, MHN 005-4380).