Ophiura saurura ( Verrill, 1894 )

Madeira, Patrícia, Kroh, Andreas, Cordeiro, Ricardo, De, António M., Martins, Frias & Ávila, Sérgio P., 2019, The Echinoderm Fauna of the Azores (NE Atlantic Ocean), Zootaxa 4639 (1), pp. 1-231 : 54

Ophiura saurura ( Verrill, 1894)

Reports for the Azores:

Ophiura saurura ( Verrill, 1894) — $ Martynov & Litvinova 2008: 80–81, figs. 2A–C.

Type locality: off Georges Bank, NE America.

See: Verrill (1894: 288–290, as Ophioglypha saurura ); Paterson (1985: 134–135, fig. 50, as Amphiophiura saurura ); Martynov & Litvinova (2008).

Occurrence: North Atlantic, off Nantucket and Newfoundland, eastwards from south of Iceland to the Bay of Biscay ( Paterson 1985); reported also from the Reykjanes Ridge and from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge from the Charlie- Gibbs Fracture Zone to the North of the Azores ( Martynov & Litvinova 2008).

Depth: 844– 2,979 m ( Martynov & Litvinova 2008); AZO: 2,063 –2,968 m ( Martynov & Litvinova 2008).

Habitat: soft bottoms ( Koehler 1898).

Remarks: Ophiura saurura was recently reported by Martynov & Litvinova (2008) from the material collected by G.O. Sars ( MAR–ECO expedition) at two stations located in the extreme north of the Azorean waters (42°55’N– 42°48’N, 30°20’W– 29°38’W, 2,063 –2,968 m), the species’ southernmost known record.