Amphipholis januarii Ljungman, 1866

Gondim, Anne I., Alonso, Carmen, Dias, Thelma L. P., Manso, Cynthia L. C. & Christoffersen, Martin L., 2013, A taxonomic guide to the brittle-stars (Echinodermata, Ophiuroidea) from the State of Paraiba continental shelf, Northeastern Brazil, ZooKeys 307, pp. 45-96 : 54-55

Amphipholis januarii Ljungman, 1866 Figure 5 a–f

Description.

Disk circular or pentagonal (dd = 1.90 to 2.70 mm). Covered by small and imbricating scales (Fig. 5a). Radial shields long, narrow, contiguous, separated proximally by a scale (Fig. 5a). Ventral interradius covered by slightly smaller scales, but similar to those on dorsal surface (Fig. 5b). Oral shields diamond-shaped (Fig. 5c). Adoral shields broadened laterally, almost united medially. Two elongated and broadened oral papillae on each side of jaw angle (Fig. 5c). Infradental papillae rectangular and robust. Dorsal arm plate broader than long, with proximal margin rounded and distal margin almost straight (Fig. 5d). Ventral arm plates pentagonal (Fig. 5e). Three to four elongate and blunt arm spines, the second or third with hyaline denticles on tip (Fig. 5f). Two perpendicular tentacle scales, inner scale slightly larger than outer.

Distribution.

South Carolina, Florida, the islands off southern Florida, Texas, the Antilles, Belize, Panama, and Brazil ( Hendler et al. 1995, Alvarado et al. 2008). In Brazil from Pará ( Albuquerque 1986, Borges and Amaral 2005), Ceará ( Lima-Verde 1969), Paraíba ( Gondim et al. 2008), Alagoas (Lima et al 2011), Bahia ( Magalhães et al. 2005), Rio de Janeiro ( Ljungman 1867, type locality), and São Paulo ( Tommasi 1970). Depth 1 to 85 m. Recorded in this study from 10 to 26 m.

Remarks.

Species known from bottoms of mud, sand, shells ( Tommasi 1970), between algae, under rocks, tending to be abundant in seagrass beds ( Hendler et al. 1995). According to Boffi (1972), juveniles are very abundant in algae.