Ophiothrix (Ophiothrix) aristulata Lyman, 1879

Mills, V. Sadie & O'Hara, Timothy D., 2013, Ophiuroids (Echinodermata; Ophiuroidea) of biogenic habitats on the continental shelf of New Zealand, Zootaxa 3613 (5), pp. 401-444 : 433

Ophiothrix (Ophiothrix) aristulata Lyman, 1879

Ophiothrix aristulata Lyman, 1879: 50 –51, pl. 15(421–424).—Lyman, 1882: 223–224, pl. 21(9–12).—Studer, 1882: 26.—Koehler, 1904: 151.—Clark, H.L., 1915: 269.—Clark, H.L., 1916: 89–90.—Koehler, 1922: 205–208, pl. 35(1–3), 97(1).—Clark, H.L., 1923: 336–337.—Mortensen, 1924: 117–118.—Clark, H.L., 1928: 430.—Koehler, 1930: 133.—Mortensen, 1933a: 336–337.—Clark, A.M., 1967: 640, 646.—Clark, A.M., 1977: 135.—Dartnall, 1980: 41, 70.

Ophiothrix aristulata var Investigatoris Koehler, 1897: 361 –363, pl. 9(72–73).

Ophiothrix capillaris .—Koehler, 1930: 135–136 (in part) [Non Ophiothrix capillaris Lyman T, 1879 ; see O'Hara, 1998].

Ophiothrix megaloplax Koehler, 1930: 170 –172, pl. 9(8–9).—Clark, A.M., 1967: 641, 647 [synonymised by O'Hara, 1998].

Placophiothrix aristulata .—Clark, H.L., 1938: 310.—Clark, H.L., 1939: 84–85.—Clark, H.L., 1946: 224–225.—Fell, 1958: 28.—Madsen, 1967: 142.

Macrophiothrix capillaris .—Clark, H.L., 1946: 222–223.

Placophiothrix megaloplax .—Clark, H.L., 1946: 228.

Macrophiothrix aristulata .—McKnight, 1967a: 312.

Ophiothrix (Ophiothrix) aristulata .—Clark, A.M. & Courtman-Stock, 1976: 142–143, fig. 111, 115.—Rowe & Gates, 1995: 420.—O'Hara, 1998: 45–46, fig. 3.

Ophiothrix (Placophiothrix) aristulata .—McKnight, 1993a: 175, 187.

Ophiothrix (Ophiothrix) megaloplax .—Rowe & Gates, 1995: 423.

Non Ophiothrix aristulata .—Döderlein, 1910: 254, pl. 5(4–5) [= Ophiothrix (Ophiothrix) fragilis (Abildgaard, 1789) ; see Mortensen, 1933a].

Non Ophiothrix aristulata .—Hertz, 1927: 35–36 [= Ophiothrix fragilis Müller J & Troschel F H, 1842 ; see Mortensen, 1933a].

Material Examined. West Coast North Island. TAN1105/88, NIWA 77844 (4).

Diagnosis. Dorsal disc with thorny, glassy spines. Radial shields naked, each pair forming a diamond shape, separated by single row of disc spines. Diamond shaped dorsal arm plates with longitudinal ridge, highlighted by faint white stripe running along dorsal midline. Seven glassy, thorny arm spines, 2–3 segments long, sometimes with dark streak in centre of spine. Colour variable, typically white, pink, purple or tan with yellow markings on the disc and a white stripe or series of black dots, running down the dorsal arm surface.

Description. See O'Hara (1998a).

Distribution. New Zealand (161–800 m), southern Australia (50–650 m), Solomon Is (264–273 m), Southern Africa (217–450 m), Indonesia, Philippines, India (216–390 m).