Ophiacantha longidens Lyman, 1878

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 : 418

Ophiacantha longidens Lyman, 1878

Ophiacantha longidens Lyman, 1878: 144 , pl. 10(274).

Ophiacantha longidens .—Lyman, 1882: 192, pl. 25(7–9).—Clark, H.L., 1915a: 207.—O'Hara & Stöhr, 2006: 41–43, fig. 1a–c.

Ophiacantha confusa Koehler, 1905: 59 –60, pl. 7(9–11).—Clark, H.L., 1915a: 197.—Clark, H.L., 1921: 105.—Clark, H.L., 1946: 184–185.—Rowe & Gates, 1995: 371 [synonymised by O'Hara & Stöhr, 2006].

Ophiacantha graphica Koehler, 1922: 51 –53, pl. 18(4–5).—Koehler, 1930: 58-59 [synonymised by O'Hara & Stöhr, 2006].

Ophiacantha tenuispina Clark, H.L., 1938: 210 –211.—Clark, H.L., 1946: 185.—Clark, A.M. & Rowe, 1971: 78–79, 93.—Rowe & Gates, 1995: 373 [synonymised by O'Hara & Stöhr, 2006].

Ophiacantha dumosa Clark, A.H., 1949: 18 –19, fig. 6a–b [synonymised by O'Hara & Stöhr, 2006].

Material Examined. Bay of Islands. TAN0906/18, NIWA 54602 (1).

Diagnosis. Disc densely covered in spinelets with at least 3 terminal thorns. Distal edge of radial shields visible but still covered in disc spinelets. Large blunt apical papilla and 3–4 finely spiny bluntly-pointed oral papillae on each side of the jaw. Arm plates striated, arms narrowing between the spine ridges. 8–9 (up to 12 in large specimens) thorny arm spines decreasing in length ventrally, dorsal-most 3–4 arm segments long. Single long, sharp tentacle scale.

Description. See O'Hara & Stöhr (2006).

Distribution. New Zealand (123–1478 m), northern Australia (16–83 m), New Caledonia (210–675 m), Indonesia (36–245 m), Philippines (176–465 m), Hawaii (468–518 m).

Remarks. This is the first record of this species from New Zealand waters. The preserved specimen has a dark brown spot or stripe on the midline of the proximal dorsal arm plates, and a mottled dark and light banding pattern on the dorsal and lateral arm plates.