Ophiosphalma elegans (Koehler, 1897)

Baker, Alan N., 2016, An illustrated catalogue of type specimens of the bathyal brittlestar genera Ophiomusium Lyman and Ophiosphalma H. L. Clark (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea), Zootaxa 4097 (1), pp. 1-40 : 29

Ophiosphalma elegans (Koehler, 1897) .

Figures 48 a, b

Ophiomusium elegans Koehler, 1897 ; H. L.Clark, 1939. Ophiosphalma elegans (Koehler, 1897) ; Guille & Vadon, 1986.

Lectotype: ZSI 5134 Laccadive Is (now Lakshadweep) 406 fathoms and Andaman Is, 457m ..

Main Features: Two specimens from the Andaman Sea, 7.5 n. miles east of North Cinque Id, 490 fathoms, are in the ZSI (5134/7). These are possible candidates for the type specimens, but the locality is incorrect. Koehler lists 2 from “Iles Laquedives” and 1 from “Iles Andaman”. A 4th specimen in the ZSI collection (ZSI 5989/7) is labelled “Andaman Sea, Nth Sentinel bearing N 15 degrees W 18 miles, 250 fathoms”. This latter specimen is 6.3mm d.d. and was listed by Koehler later in 1899, and is thus not in the type series.

Specimens ZSI 5134/ 7 may be mislabelled and are probably the specimens recorded in the actual type description, from the Lakshadweep ( Laccadive) Islands to the west of southern India.

Therefore, specimen ZSI 5134 with tag, 13 mm d.d., is here selected as a lectotype for O. elegans . Specimen ZSI 5134 without a tag, 11 mm d.d., is here selected as a paralectotype. Unfortunately, the oral papillae are mostly missing and one interradius is broken in this specimen.

The surface of the disc plates is an open mesh of pits, and there are granules at the disc edge. The radial shields are pear-shaped. Oral papillae are rectangular and evenly reduced towards the apex. There are three pairs of exposed tentacle pores.