Ophiocoma echinata (Lamarck, 1816)

Gondim, Anne I., Alonso, Carmen, Dias, Thelma L. P., Manso, Cynthia L. C. & Christoffersen, Martin L., 2013, A taxonomic guide to the brittle-stars (Echinodermata, Ophiuroidea) from the State of Paraiba continental shelf, Northeastern Brazil, ZooKeys 307, pp. 45-96 : 65

Ophiocoma echinata (Lamarck, 1816) Figure 11 a–e, 14d

Description.

Disk circular to pentagonal (dd = 3.06 to 16.68 mm). Uniformly covered by small granules (Fig. 11a), which are smaller in central region than in marginal region. These granules occupy a v-shaped area on the ventral interradius (Fig. 11b). In the areas without granules there are large and imbricating scales. Bursal slits enlarged, with well developed genital scales in margins (Fig. 11b). Oral shields large and rectangular, proximal margin slightly rounded (Fig. 11c). Adoral shields small, almost totally covered by oral shield. Four oral papillae on each side of jaw angle (Fig. 11c). Two proximal papillae slightly cylindrical and subequal, two distal papillae longer and broader. Cluster of well developed dental papillae on apex of jaw (Fig. 11c). Dorsal arm plate longer than wide, fan-shaped (Fig. 11d). Ventral arm plate longer than wide, octogonal, with distal margin slightly convex (Fig. 11e). Two tentacle scales, internal one slightly larger than external one. Three or four arm spines alternating on arm segments. Dorsal spine longer and broader (bottle-shaped) (Fig. 11d), median ones of equal size and ventral one smaller and slightly flattened.

Distribution.

Bermuda, Florida and the islands off southern Florida, the Bahamas, the Antilles, the Mexican Caribbean, Belize, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, and Brazil ( Lyman 1865, H.L. Clark 1933, Hendler et al. 1995, Durán-Gonzáles et al. 2005, Alvarado et al. 2008). In Brazil from Ceará ( Albuquerque 1986), Paraíba ( Rathbun 1879), Pernambuco ( Tommasi 1970), Alagoas ( Miranda et al. 2012), Bahia ( Tommasi 1970), and Rio de Janeiro ( Manso 1993). Intertidal to 24m. Recorded herein between 10 and 34m.

Remarks.

This species has diurnal habits. It lives in reef zones, seagrass beds, mangroves, being particularly abundant under rocks ( Hendler et al. 1995). It is frequently recorded together with Ophiocoma pumila Lütken, 1856, Ophiocoma wendtii and Ophioderma appressa , although it has an agressive defensive reaction and competes for space with Ophiocoma wendtii ( Side and Woodley 1985).