Ophiolepis superba H. L. Clark, 1915

Okanishi, Masanori & Fujita, Yoshihisa, 2019, A comprehensive taxonomic list of brittle stars (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea) from submarine caves of the Ryukyu Islands, southwestern Japan, with a description of a rare species, Dougaloplus echinatus (Amphiuridae), Zootaxa 4571 (1), pp. 73-98 : 86

Ophiolepis superba H. L. Clark, 1915

[Japanese name: Wamon-kumohitode]

( Fig. 9A )

Ophiura annulosa— Blainville 1834: 244, pl. 24, figs 1–4 [Non Ophiura annulosa Lamarck, 1816 ].

Ophiolepis annulosa . Müller & Troechel 1840: 328; 1842: 89, 90.— Lütken 1859: 100, 105, pl. 2, fig. 5a, b.— Lyman 1865: 58; 1882: 19.— Studer 1882: 19.— Koehler 1905: 17; 1907a: 287; 1922: 434; 1930: 260.— H. L. Clark 1908: 289.— Bell 1909: 19.— Matsumoto 1917: 300, fig. 82.— Murakami 1943b: 181.— A. M. Clark & Melville 1976: 268.

Ophiolepis superba H. L. Clark 1915: 89 , 343; 1921: 143; 1928: 453; 1932: 210; 1946: 272.— Endean 1956: 127.— Chang et al. 1964: 129. Domantay & Domantay 1966: 64, 65.— A. M. Clark & Rowe 1971: 90, 129, pl. 22, figs 3, 4.— A. M. Clark & Melville 1976: 268.— Gibbs et al. 1976: 130.— Liao 1978: 95.— Cherbonnier & Guile 1978: 236, fig. 76A–G.— Guille & Jangoux 1978: 70.— A. M. Clark 1980: 547.— James 1981: 3, 4, fig. 1b.— Vadon & Guille 1984: 584.— Guille & Vadon 1986: 169.— Nomura 1993: 26.— Liao & A. M. Clark 1995: 293, fig. 164.— Rowe & Gates 1995: 432.— O’Hara 1998: 48.— Irimura & Tachikawa 2002: 21.— Liao 2004: 354, 355.—Okanishi 2016: 669.

Material examined. Okinawa Island (RUMF-ZE-02063[1]): “entrance” of the “Hedo-Dome” cave, under rock or coral rubble, approximately 15 m depth, 22 May 2017.

Distribution. Widely distributed in Indo-West Pacific. Depth range 0– 205 m.

Remarks. This specimen is identified as Ophiolepis superba by virtue of having: numerous, flat and thin disc scales, smaller ones surrounding larger ones regularly; completely naked radial shields almost twice as long as wide; supplementary dorsal plates fragmented in two or three pieces; a deep-purple star-like pattern on the center and interradii of aboral disc; arms banded with deep-purple bands on the aboral and lateral surface of the arms; the oral side of the disc with deep-purple all over the jaws and interradii, with a star-like pattern ( Pineda-Enríquez et al. 2018).

Figures

FIGURE 9. Aboral views of living specimens. A, Ophiolepis superba H. L. Clark, 1915 (RUMF-ZE-02063); B, Ophiozonella cavernalis Okanishi & Fujita, 2018a (RUMF-ZE-02064); C, Ophiostriatus sexradiatus irimura, 1993 (RUMF-ZE-02067); D, Ophiocoma pusilla (Brock, 1888) (RUMF-ZE-02083); E, Cryptopelta cf. callista H. L. Clark, 1938 (RUMF-ZE-02068); F, Ophiarachnella gorgonia Müller & Troschel, 1842 (RUMF-ZE-02073); G, Ophiopsammus anchista (H. L. Clark, 1911) (RUMF-ZE-02079); H, Ophiarachna mauritiensis de Loriol, 1893a (RUMF-ZE-02070).