Ophiura grubei Heller, 1863

Glück, Franziska U., Stöhr, Sabine, Bochert, Ralf & Zettler, Michael L., 2012, Brittle stars (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea) from the continental shelf off Angola and Namibia, Zootaxa 3475, pp. 1-20 : 15

Ophiura grubei Heller, 1863

Fig. 6 G, H

West African records. Ophiocten africanum: Koehler 1923: 15 ; Ophiura grubei: Cadenat 1938: 361 ; Madsen 1970: 231; Ophiura africana: A. M. Clark 1955: 50 ; Cherbonnier 1957: 170; Longhurst 1958: 100; Buchanan 1958: 28; Cherbonnier 1962: 19; Tommasi 1967: 547.

Material examined. St. 88: dredge sampling, 7°14.088´S, 12°41.010´E; 24 specimens, 1.3–5 mm. St. 121: dredge sampling, 7°51.948´S, 12°58.452´E; 51 specimens, 1.5–3 mm. St. 4B: grab sampling, 13°57.672´S, 12°21.870´E; 1 specimen, 2 mm. St. BE12: grab sampling, 15°10.836´S, 12°04.920´E; 2 specimens, 2.3–3.5 mm. Between 38 and 57 m depth.

Diagnosis. The naked disc and arms are less firmly fused together than in other species of Ophiura ; distinct combs at the arm bases. Arm spines are short and closely appressed. Ventral arm plates narrow, short and widely separated by the lateral arm plates that meet for almost the entire length of an arm segment. The jaw bears a single unpaired apical papilla, two spine-like lateral papillae and a wider distal papilla. At a glance, the habitus of the species is rather similar to Ophiocten .

Distribution. This species is recorded from the Mediterranean Sea as well as from the African Atlantic. The southernmost distribution boundary is Porto Alexandre, Angola. It occurs at depths between 10 and 350 m.

Figures

FIGURE 6. A, B, Ophiothrix congensis; A, dorsal aspect; B, ventral aspect. C, D, Ophiothrix fragilis C, dorsal aspect; D, ventral aspect. E, F, Ophiura (Dictenophiura) carnea skoogi; E, dorsal aspect; F, ventral aspect. G, H, Ophiura grubei; G, dorsal aspect; H, ventral aspect. Scale bars 1 mm.