Amphipholis squamata ( Delle Chiaje, 1828 )

Glück, Franziska U., Stöhr, Sabine, Bochert, Ralf & Zettler, Michael L., 2012, Brittle stars (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea) from the continental shelf off Angola and Namibia, Zootaxa 3475, pp. 1-20 : 7

Amphipholis squamata ( Delle Chiaje, 1828)

Fig. 2 G, H

West African records. Koehler 1914: 194; A. M. Clark 1955: 38; Longhurst 1958: 100; Madsen 1970: 202; Alva & Vadon 1989: 834.

Material examined. St. 4B: grab sampling, 13°57.672´S, 12°21.870´E; 1 specimen, 2 mm. St. BE13: dredge sampling, 15°17.562´S, 12°00.030´E; 1 specimen, 3.5 mm. St. BE17: grab and dredge sampling, 17°18.946´S, 11°43.389´E; 36 specimens, 1–4 mm. St. BE30: grab and dredge sampling, 17°23.415´S, 11°43.432´E; 31 specimens, 1–4 mm. St. BE02: grab and dredge sampling, 18°11.442´S, 11°50.478´E; 4 specimens, 1.5–3 mm. St. BE01: grab sampling, 18°23.118´S, 11°55.290´E; 2 specimens, 1.8 mm. Depth: 26– 84 m.

Diagnosis. The two infradental papillae on each jaw angle are somewhat rounded. The oral papillae are arranged in a continuous series with the distal one being at least twice as broad as the other ones. The disc is smooth and typically carries a rosette of primary plates. The oral shields are rhombic. There are two scales at each tentacle pore.

Distribution. Amphipholis squamata , as currently delimited, is widespread in temperate and tropical seas. It occurs along the entire West African coast, moreover in the Mediterranean Sea and the eastern Atlantic from Iceland to South Africa. During our cruises it was found only south of 13°S. It occurs from the littoral zone down to 1200 m. Amphipholis squamata is most likely a species complex ( Boissin et al. 2008) and so the actual distribution of each putative cryptic species may be more limited.

Figures

FIGURE 2. A, B, Acrocnida semisquamata; A, dorsal aspect; B, ventral aspect. C, D, Amphioplus aciculatus; C, dorsal aspect; D, ventral aspect. E, F, Amphipholis bananensis; E, dorsal aspect; F, ventral aspect. G, H, Amphipholis squamata; G, dorsal aspect; H, ventral aspect. Scale bars 1 mm.