Ophiacantha veterna Koehler, 1907a

O’Hara, Timothy D. & Thuy, Ben, 2022, Biogeography and taxonomy of Ophiuroidea (Echinodermata) from the Îles Saint- Paul and Amsterdam in the southern Indian Ocean, Zootaxa 5124 (1), pp. 1-49 : 16-17

Ophiacantha veterna Koehler, 1907a

Fig. 6A–B

Ophiacantha veterna Koehler, 1907a: 41–43 .— Koehler 1909: 189–190, pl. 29(3–4). — Koehler 1921 b: 2.— Martynov & Litvinova 2008: 96–97, fig. 11d.

Ophiacantha enopla veterna .— Paterson 1985: 37, fig. 16.— Stöhr & Segonzac 2005: 392.

Material examined. MD 50 CP7, MNHN IE.2009.1562 (2). MD 50 CP113, MNHN IE.2009.1563 (1).

Distribution. Arctic (1992–1995 m), NE Atlantic (1350–2669 m), E Atlantic (1004–1679 m), SPA (940–1680 m).

Remarks. The MD 50 specimens are 6.5–7.0 mm dd, disc pentagonal or slightly indented interradially, with margin covered in small rugose granules and centre with small cylindrical spines with terminal thorns, radial shields raised and rib like with oval distal section exposed ( Fig. 6A ), oral shields trapezoid to hemispherical, two times as wide as long, three to four conical to capitate rugose oral papillae ( Fig. 6B ), DAPs fan to kite-shaped and separate, to eight arm spines with tiny thorns, upper to three segments long and one tiny spiniform thorny tentacle scale. They are morphologically consistent with material from the North Atlantic including the type description. Although Paterson (1985) considered this species to be a subspecies of Ophiacantha enopla Verrill, 1885 , Martynov & Litvinova (2008) re-established O. veterna as a full species. Paterson’s (1985) record of this species from 101 m is a depth outlier that requires re-examination. All other records are from 1000–2700 m.

Figures

FIGURE 6. (A) Ophiacantha veterna, MNHN IE.2009.1562, dorsal outline. (B) MNHN IE.2009.1563, ventral view. (C–E) Ophiosabine cuspidata, MNHN IE.2009.1558, C: dorsal outline, D: dorsal view, E: ventral view. (F) Ophiotreta spectabilis, MNHN IE.2009.1564, dorsal view. (G–H) Ophiolimna bairdi, MNHN IE.2009.1571, G: dorsal and H: ventral views.