Ophiocomidae Ljungman, 1867

Stöhr, Sabine, Hugall, Andrew F., Thuy, Ben & Martynov, Alexander, 2018, Morphological diagnoses of higher taxa in Ophiuroidea (Echinodermata) in support of a new classification, European Journal of Taxonomy 416, pp. 1-35 : 16

Family Ophiocomidae Ljungman, 1867

Type genus

Ophiocoma L. Agassiz, 1836 (type species: O. echinata ( Lamarck, 1816)) .

Other genera

Breviturma Stöhr et al. 2013 stat. nov., Ophiarthrum Peters, 1851 , Ophiocomella A.H. Clark, 1939 , Ophiomastix Müller & Troschel, 1842 .

Diagnosis

Dorsal disc with granules, smooth spines or naked thickened skin. Oral plate with large abradial flange with horizontal grooves. Dental plate entire, dorsalmost sockets as large penetrating holes, with vertical septum, large cluster of teeth ventrally. Teeth with hyaline tip. Spine articulations very large, with dorsalward increase in size, freestanding on raised distal portion of lateral arm plates. Lateral arm plates with very small proximal spurs if any. Inner side of lateral arm plates with single, large perforation (putatively for bundled arm spine nerves).

Remarks

We raise Breviturma from subgeneric to generic level. Ophiocoma is polyphyletic and requires revision.