Ophiocoma pusilla ( Brock, 1888 )

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 : 87

Ophiocoma pusilla ( Brock, 1888)

[New Japanese name: Itabuto-kumohitode]

( Fig. 9D )

Ophiomastix pusilla Brock 1888: 499 .— Pfeffer 1900: 85.— Koehler 1905: 65, pl. 6, figs 9, 10, pl. 13, fig. 3.— H. L. Clark 1915: 296.— A. M. Clark 1967: 45, fig. 5.

Ophiocoma pusilla . H. L. Clark 1921: 131.— Devaney 1970: 25 –28, figs 26, 29; 1974: 160, 161.— A. M. Clark & Rowe 1971: 86, 87.—A. M. Clark 1976: 259, 260; 1980: 544.— A. M. Clark & Courtman-Stock 1976: 174, fig. 190.— Cherbonnier & Guille 1978: 173, 174, pl. 11(3, 4).— Sloan et al. 1979: 106.— Guille & Jangoux 1978: 64.— Marsh 1986: 71.— Marsh et al. 1993: 61.— Rowe & Gates: 1995: 388.— Price & Rowe 1996: 77.— Irimura & Tachikawa 2002: 15.— Stöhr 2011: 36 – 38, fig. 17l, m.

Ophiocoma latilanxia Murakami, 1943a: 194 , fig. 13; 1943b: 217.— A. M. Clark & Rowe 1971: 86, 87.— Irimura & Tachikawa 2002: 15.

Ophiocoma sp.— A. M. Clark 1952: 208.

Ophiocoma insularia — Balinsky 1957: 26 [Non Ophiocoma insularia Lyman, 1861 ].

Ophiocoma insularia var. variegate— H. L. Ckark 1938: 330 [Non Ophiocoma insularia var. variegate Smith, 1876 ].

Ophiocoma scolopendrina— H. L. Clark 1921, pl. 13, fig. 9 [Non Ophiura scolopendrina Lamarck, 1816 ].

Material examined. Ie Island (RUMF-ZE-02083[1]): “entrance” of the “Unnamed cave”, under coral rubble, approximately 18 m depth, 24 June 2017.

Distribution. Widely distributed in Indo-Pacific. Depth range 0– 426 m.

Remarks. This specimen is identified as Ophiocoma pusilla by virtue of having: numerous and dense granules on disc except near genital slits; four, rarely five cylindrical and pointed long arm spines, approximately two times longer than corresponding arm segment on proximal portion of arms; two oval tentacle scales; broad, two times as wide as long ventral arm plates on proximal portion of the arm (e.g. Devaney, 1970).

Figures

FIGURE 9. Aboral views of living specimens. A, Ophiolepis superba H. L. Clark, 1915 (RUMF-ZE-02063); B, Ophiozonella cavernalis Okanishi & Fujita, 2018a (RUMF-ZE-02064); C, Ophiostriatus sexradiatus irimura, 1993 (RUMF-ZE-02067); D, Ophiocoma pusilla (Brock, 1888) (RUMF-ZE-02083); E, Cryptopelta cf. callista H. L. Clark, 1938 (RUMF-ZE-02068); F, Ophiarachnella gorgonia Müller & Troschel, 1842 (RUMF-ZE-02073); G, Ophiopsammus anchista (H. L. Clark, 1911) (RUMF-ZE-02079); H, Ophiarachna mauritiensis de Loriol, 1893a (RUMF-ZE-02070).