Family OPHIODERMATIDAE

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Introduction

Ophiodermatids are widespread in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. There are 21 known extant genera, including 109 species.

The family is distinguished from other ophiurid families by the following combination of character states: arms inserted laterally and firmly fused with disc, moderately long, stout, widest at base; granules cover disc scales of both surfaces and commonly jaws also; unpaired infradental papillae at apex of each jaw.

Excluded Taxa

Misidentifications

OPHIODERMATIDAE: Ophiopeza exilis Koehler, 1905 — Rowe, F.W.E. & Gates, J. 1995. Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Vol. 33 Echinodermata. Melbourne : CSIRO Australia 510 pp. [402] (as synonym of Ophiopsammus yoldii (Lütken, 1856)); Stöhr, S. 2013. Ophiopeza exilis Koehler, 1905. In: Stöhr, S. & O'Hara, T. (Eds) (2013) World Ophiuroidea database. http://www.marinespecies.org/Ophiuroidea/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=245414 on 2013-07-19 ("according to Liao (2004) this species has been synonymized with Ophiopsammus yoldii by H.L. Clark (1946), but there is no such record in that reference. The species is thus treated as valid until found different." No records from Australia)

OPHIODERMATIDAE: Pectinura stearnsii Ives, 1891 [valid species does not occur in Australia] — Liao, Y. & Clark, A.M. 1995. The echinoderms of southern China. Beijing : Science Press 614 pp., 23 pls. (valid species as Ophiarachnella stearnsii (Ives, 1891)); Rowe, F.W.E. & Gates, J. 1995. Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Vol. 33 Echinodermata. Melbourne : CSIRO Australia 510 pp. [396] (as synonym of Ophiarachnella gorgonia (Müller & Troschel, 1842))

General References

Fell, H.B. 1960. Synoptic keys to the genera of Ophiuroidea. Zoological Publications of the Victoria University, Wellington 26: 1-44 6 figs

Paterson, G.L.J. 1985. The deep-sea Ophiuroidea of the North Atlantic Ocean. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) Zool. 49(1): 1-162, figs 1-59

Rowe, F.W.E. & Gates, J. 1995. Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Vol. 33 Echinodermata. Melbourne : CSIRO Australia 510 pp. [393]

Spencer, W.K. & Wright, C.W. 1966. Asterozoans. pp. U4-U107 figs 1-89 in Moore, R.C. (ed.). Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology. Part U. Echinodermata. 3. Asterozoa-Echinozoa. Kansas : Geological Society of America and University of Kansas Press Vol. 1.

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