Ophioderma teres (Lyman, 1860)

Granja-Fernandez, Rebeca, Herrero-Perezrul, Maria D., Lopez-Perez, Ramon A., Hernandez, Luis, Rodriguez-Zaragoza, Fabian A., Jones, Robert Wallace & Pineda-Lopez, Ruben, 2014, Ophiuroidea (Echinodermata) from coral reefs in the Mexican Pacific, ZooKeys 406, pp. 101-145 : 131-132

Ophioderma teres (Lyman, 1860) Figure 6 G–L

Description.

Disk pentagonal (dd = 5.3 to 12.2 mm). Dorsal and ventral sides of the disk covered by fine and rounded granulation. Radial shields naked and oval (Fig. 6J, K). Oral shields heart-shaped, small and with three rounded lobes. Adoral shields covered by granulation. Madreporite evident. Eight to nine oral papillae on each side of the jaw (Fig. 6L). Dorsal arm plates wider than long and divided in several irregular pieces (two to four) (Fig. 6H). Ventral arm plates quadrangular and rounded. Reduced lateral arm plates. Six to seven short arm spines, all spines are closely equal in size, except the lowest which is longer. Two tentacle scales (Fig. 6I). Four bursal slits per interradius (Fig. 6K). Dorsal side uniformly chocolate-brown in color, with irregular black rings on the disk (Fig. 6G, J). Ventral side yellowish-cream in color (Fig. 6K).

Distribution.

Mexico, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador, Colombia and Galapagos Islands ( Ziesenhenne 1955, Neira and Cantera 2005, Alvarado et al. 2010). In Mexico, from the Gulf of California (Baja California Sur, Sonora, Sinaloa), in the Pacific side of Baja California and Baja California Sur, Nayarit, Jalisco, Guerrero and Oaxaca ( Solís-Marín et al. 2005, Honey-Escandón et al. 2008). From intertidal to 46 m depth ( Maluf 1988). In this study, Ophioderma teres was collected on coral reefs from Guerrero and Oaxaca; 9.1 to 10.7 m depth.

Remarks.

All the collected material of Ophioderma teres corresponded to juvenile specimens according to the juvenile species description by Lyman (1860). Adults are distinguished from juveniles by having grain-covered radial shields, a large number of subdivided dorsal plates in the arms (up to five), nine arm spines, and body uniformly dark-brown in color ( Lyman 1860, Ziesenhenne 1955). Many juvenile specimens have been collected in the Gulf of California, Pacific side of Mexico, Panama, Ecuador and Galapagos Islands ( Lyman 1860, Caso 1951, Ziesenhenne 1955). Several authors suggested that adults of Ophioderma teres might be confused with Ophioderma panamensis and proposed some characteristics to distinguish them: 1) shorter and rounded arms in Ophioderma teres versus larger and flattened arms in Ophioderma panamensis ; 2) nine arm spines in Ophioderma teres and 11 in Ophioderma panamensis ; 3) dorsal arm plates divided into three-five plates in Ophioderma teres , meanwhile some individuals of Ophioderma panamensis could have up to two; 4) radial shields covered in Ophioderma teres but naked in Ophioderma panamensis ; 5) uniform brown color without banded arms in Ophioderma teres but colored and banded arms in Ophioderma panamensis ( Lyman 1860, Verrill 1867, Nielsen 1932, Clark HL 1940, Ziesenhenne 1955). Similar to Ophioderma panamensis , Ophioderma teres was found on rocks and in sand.

Collected material.

GUERRERO:Zacatoso (3 specimens, rock, 9.1 m, 01/06/2012, ICML-UNAM 10581).

OAXACA:Puerto Angelito (1 specimen, rock, 10.7 m, 05/08/2007, MHN 005-4330); El Faro (2 specimens, rock, 23/04/2009, ICML-UNAM 10232); Estacahuite (4 specimens, rock, 18/09/2008, MHN 005-4332; 1 specimen, stony coral, 10.3 m, 04/09/2010, ICML-UNAM 10271); La Mina (2 specimens, rock, 17/04/2008, MHN 005-4331); Boquilla (1 specimen, 02/11/2007, MHN 005-4399); Dos Hermanas (3 specimens, rock, 08/08/2011, ICML-UNAM 10427); Harrys (1 specimen, sand, 9.1 m, 21/10/2011, ICML-UNAM 10439); Copal (1 specimen, sand, 9.1 m, 21/10/2011, ICML-UNAM 10443).