Ophiohamus is a genus of brittle stars in the family Ophiacanthidae from New Caledonia.[2] Timothy D. O'Hara and Sabine Stöhr circumscribed and named the genus in 2006; they described the type species Ophiohamus nanus in the same work.[1] A second species, Ophiohamus georgemartini, was described by O'Hara and Caroline Harding in 2015.[3] As of 2018, those are the only two species recognized in this genus.[2]

Ophiohamus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Echinodermata
Class: Ophiuroidea
Order: Ophiurida
Family: Ophiacanthidae
Genus: Ophiohamus
O'Hara & Stöhr, 2006[1]
Type species
Ophiohamus nanus
O'Hara & Stöhr, 2006

The genus is distinguished from other closely related genera such as such as Ophiomitrella and Ophiurothamnus by a combination of the following characteristics:[3]

  • discs with coarse, overlapping disc plates integrated with large, contiguous radial shields, sometimes with spines;
  • interradial incision shallow, the distal two with widened outer papillae;
  • small oral and adoral shields, the former distal to the latter and contiguous with the lateral arm plate;
  • arms curving but not coiling;
  • 3–4 short arm spines, restricted laterally to the arm;
  • arm spines up to or just exceeding a segment in length;
  • lowest arm spine semi-hooked;
  • jaw slit enclosing oral tentacles; and
  • simple tentacle scale covering small tentacle pore.

References

edit
  1. ^ a b O'Hara, Timothy D.; Stöhr, Sabine (2006). "Deep water Ophiuroidea (Echinodermata) of New Caledonia: Ophiacanthidae and Hemieuryalidae". Tropical Deep-Sea Benthos, volume 24. Mémoires du Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle. Vol. 193. Paris. p. 114. ISBN 2-85653-585-2.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. ^ a b Stöhr, S., O’Hara, T., Thuy, B. (2018). Stöhr S, O'Hara T (eds.). "Ophiohamus O'Hara & Stöhr, 2006". World Ophiuroidea database. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  3. ^ a b O'Hara, Timothy D.; Harding, Caroline (2015). "Enigmatic ophiuroids from the New Caledonian region". Memoirs of Museum Victoria. 73: 47–49. doi:10.24199/j.mmv.2015.73.06.