Ophiopsammus assimilis (Bell, 1888)

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 : 425-427

Ophiopsammus assimilis (Bell, 1888)

( Fig. 10 d–f)

Ophiopeza assimilis Bell, 1888: 282 , pl. 16(5).

Pectinura cylindrica .—Farquhar, 1898: 190, pl. 14(4–5).—Mortensen, 1924: 172–173, fig. 35(1–2) [Non Ophiopeza cylindrica (Hutton F W, 1872) ; see Vail & Rowe, 1989].

Pectinura dyscrita Clark, H.L., 1909a: 534 –535, pl. 49(5–7).—Clark, H.L., 1914b: 152.—Clark, H.L., 1915a: 303.—Clark, H.L., 1946: 256 [synonymised by Vail & Rowe, 1989].

Pectinura assimilis .—Clark, H.L., 1909b: 118.—Clark, H.L., 1915a: 303.—Clark, H.L., 1928: 442–443.—Clark, H.L., 1938: 343.—Clark, H.L., 1946: 257.

Pectinura nigra Clark, H.L., 1938: 344 –345.—Clark, H.L., 1946: 256–257 [synonymised by Vail & Rowe, 1989].

Ophiopsammus assimilis .—Vail & Rowe, 1989: 280–283, fig. 7(a–c).—Marsh, 1991: 465.—Rowe & Gates, 1995: 401.

? Ophiopeza yoldii .—Lyman, 1882: 12 [Non Ophiopsammus yoldii (Lütken C F, 1856) ].

? Ophiopeza arenosa .— Baker, 1982: 431–433, fig. 10:18c [Non Ophiopeza cylindrica (Hutton F W, 1872) ; see Vail & Rowe, 1989].

Material Examined. Bay of Islands. TAN0906/68, NIWA 55232 (1). TAN0906/178, NIWA 77848 (1). East Coast North Island. TAN1108/233, NIWA 77875 (1). TAN1108/253, NIWA 77804 (2). TAN1108/275, NIWA 75676 (11); NIWA 75676 (11). Far North. TAN0906/164, NIWA 56810 (1). Three Kings Islands. TAN1105/42, NIWA 77808 (1). TAN1105/70, NIWA 73579 (2). West Coast North Island. TAN1105/104, NIWA 73694 (10). TAN1105/115, NIWA 73741 (3); NIWA 73743 (2). TAN1105/128, NIWA 73773 (1). TAN1105/137, NIWA 73833 (14).

Diagnosis. Large, dd to 29 mm, arms to 5 times disc diameter. Dorsal and ventral disc, and adoral shields covered in small granules. Radial shields separated by up to 7 disc plates but usually covered by disc granules. Wide dorsal arm plates with dark and light pink banding, often fragmented in large specimens. Nine (rarely to 11) adpressed blunt arm spines, reducing to 5 distally. Juvenile specimen with 6 arm spines (NIWA 73579). Ventralmost arm spine slightly wider than the rest. Two tentacle scales, inner scale longer.

Description. See Vail & Rowe (1989).

Distribution. northern New Zealand (79–238 m), southern Australia (1–594 m).

Remarks. This new material has extended the range of the two Ophiopsammus species in New Zealand waters, and has provided new information about their colour in life ( Fig. 10 ). There are clear differences in patterning between Ophiopsammus assimilis and Ophiopsammus maculata , which is retained in preserved material. The dorsal and ventral disc, and dorsal arms of O. maculata are covered in small red spots ( Fig. 10 a–c), whereas O. assimilis has few red spots on the oral shields and scattered spots on the ventral surface of the disc ( Fig. 10 e–f), and a white and red banding pattern on the distal ends of the arms ( Fig. 10 d).

Figures

FIGURE 10. Ophiopsammus maculata (Verrill, 1869) (NIWA 74360, TAN 1108 / 66, a: whole animal, b: dorsal, c: ventral) and Ophiopsammus assimilis (Bell, 1888) (NIWA 55232, TAN 0906 / 68, d: whole animal, e: dorsal, f: ventral, showing live colour. Scale bars = 1 cm.