Ophiomusium luetkeni Lyman, 1878

Stöhr, Sabine, 2011, New records and new species of Ophiuroidea (Echinodermata) from Lifou, Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia, Zootaxa 3089, pp. 1-50 : 46

Ophiomusium luetkeni Lyman, 1878

Fig. 21 D–F

Ophiomusium luetkeni Lyman, 1878: 114 , pl. 5 figs 138–140; Guille 1981: 453; Guille & Vadon 1986: 173 –174. Ophiomusium impurum Koehler, 1904: 64 , pl. 10 figs 8–10 [new synonymy].

Material. Sta. CP1646: 20 spms; sta. DW1650C: 1 spm.

Comparative material. Ophiomusium impurum (possibly syntype, but status unclear), MNHN Ec Os 22102, 8 mm dd, Indonesia, Sunda Islands.

Remarks. The disk of O. luetkeni has a high, boxy appearance and a conspicuously large marginal plate in each interradius, with a prominent transverse ridge. It is distinguished from other species of Ophiomusium by the small spine on the dorsal part of the lateral arm plate. These spines have fallen off in most of the specimens at hand, but the articulation is clearly visible. Koehler (1930) failed to notice the similarity between his O. impurum and O. luetkeni , maintaining both, but in recent works O. luetkeni was used, without synonymizing them. The putative type of O. impurum cannot be distinguished from the description of O. luetkeni . O'Hara confirmed their conspecificity after examining both types (personal communication).

Figures

FIGURE 21. SEM images of species of Ophiomusium. A – C, O. relictum, A, dorsal aspect, B, ventral aspect, C, arm in lateral view. D – F, O. luetkeni, D, dorsal aspect, E, ventral aspect, F, arm in lateral view. G – I, O. scalare, G, dorsal aspect, H, ventral aspect, I, arm in lateral view. Scale bars in millimetre.