Ophiocoma L. Agassiz, 1835

Boissin, Emilie, Hoareau, Thierry B., Paulay, Gustav & Bruggemann, J. Henrich, 2016, Shallow-water reef ophiuroids (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea) of Réunion (Mascarene Islands), with biogeographic considerations, Zootaxa 4098 (2), pp. 273-297 : 282

Genus Ophiocoma L. Agassiz, 1835

Ophiocoma is perhaps the most conspicuous and abundant genus of large ophiuroids on coral reefs. It can be subdivided into four groups ( Devaney 1970): (1) SCOLOPENDRINA GROUP: easily recognisable by arm-spines alternating sequentially between three and four; (2) Subgenus Breviturma Stöhr et al. 2013 (i.e. former BREVIPES GROUP): upper arm plates with broadly rounded margins, disc granules closely packed up to the oral shields; (3) PICA GROUP with angular arm plates; (4) PUMILA GROUP with elongated granules on disc and one tentacle scale on all but the first five proximal segments. Currently 23 Ophiocoma species are recognized ( Stöhr et al. 2016).