Ophiocomella, A. H. CLARK, 1939

Stöhr, Sabine, Conand, Chantal & Boissin, Emilie, 2008, Brittle stars (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea) from La Réunion and the systematic position of Ophiocanops Koehler, 1922, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 153 (3), pp. 545-560 : 555-556

GENUS OPHIOCOMELLA A.H. CLARK, 1939 OPHIOCOMELLA SEXRADIA (DUNCAN, 1887)

Material: One spm (dd = 3 mm); La Saline reef, with Acropora, S. Ribes , 30.vii.1977.

Comments: This specimen has six arms of equal size, without signs of regeneration, although the species is known to be fissiparous ( Wilkie, Emson & Mladenov, 1984). It accords well with the specimen of similar size described by Clark ( Clark & Rowe, 1971). The dorsal disc is sparsely covered with short, blunt, slightly rugose spinelets; the arm spines are of equal size and finely serrated. According to Clark ( Clark & Rowe, 1971), the disc spinelets are reduced to granules in larger specimens. The key in Clark & Rowe (1971) distinguishes this species from Ophiomastix sexradiata A.H. Clark, 1952 , but which is now regarded as a synonym ( Devaney, 1970).

Distribution: Littoral to 15 m, tropical Indo-Pacific, Australia, Tasman Sea ( Rowe & Gates, 1995); La Réunion ( Guille & Ribes, 1981) and Rodrigues ( Rowe & Richmond, 2004).