Ophiarachnella gorgonia
©Anne Hoggett: Ophiarachnella gorgonia from under rubble on the reef flat near Bird Islet, Lizard Island Group.
©Anne Hoggett: Ophiarachnella gorgonia from under rubble on the reef flat near Bird Islet, Lizard Island Group. Only two of the oral shields have suboral shields in this individual.
©Anne Hoggett: Ophiarachnella gorgonia from under rubble on the reef flat near Bird Islet, Lizard Island Group.
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Echinodermata
Class
Ophiuroidea
Order
Ophiurida
Family
Ophiodermatidae
Genus
Ophiarachnella
Species
Ophiarachnella gorgonia
Colours
Distinguishing features
A small green and whitish, or pink, green and whitish, brittlestar with banded arms, always concealed under rubble. Arms spines are very short and apressed to the arms. The following characteristics cannot be seen in the field. On underside, the oral shields are large and without granules, and each has a supplementary oral shield distal to it. On upper side, the disc is covered with granules except for the pair of radial shields near the base of each arm.
Size
- Up to 10 cm (Length of specimen) - applies to Diameter including arms
Depth range
- Depth range data is not yet available.
Synonyms
Similar taxa
Distribution
©Atlas of Living Australia: Australian distribution
Web resources
References
References that assist with identification
- Clark, A.M. and F.W.E. Rowe (1971). Monograph of shallow-water Indo-west Pacific echinoderms British Museum (Natural History), London.
Other references
- Cisternas, P.A. and M. Byrne (2005). Evolution of abbreviated development in the ophiuroid Ophiarachnella gorgonia involves hererochronies and deletions, Canadian Journal of Zoology, 83: 1067-1078. LIRS catalog number 1111.
- Rowe, F.W.E. and J. Gates (1995). Echinodermata in: Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Vol. 33, xiii, 510 pp. Wells, A. (Ed.). CSIRO, Melbourne, Australia.