Ophionereis reticulata ( Say, 1825 )

Ophionereis reticulata ( Say, 1825) View in CoL

Ophiura reticulata — Say 1825: 152.

Ophionereis dulia — Clark 1901: 248.

Ophionereis reticulata View in CoL — Verrill 1868: 366; Brito 1960: 2, Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 ; 1962; Lima-Verde 1969: 12; Tommasi 1970: 86, Fig. 90–91; Boffi 1972: 319; Rathbun 1879: 151; Albuquerque 1986: 190, Fig. 30a–c, est. XI, Fig. 1a–c View FIGURE 1 ; Guille & Albuquerque 1987: 147; Tommasi 1999; Albuquerque & Guille 1991: 12; Manso 1993: 194; Alves & Cerqueira 2000: 547; Neto et al. 2005: 213; Borges & Amaral 2005: 246, Fig. A–D; Magalhães et al. 2005: 63; Ventura et al. 2006: 351; Gondim et al. 2008: 154; Lima & Fernandes 2009: 60; Oliveira et al. 2010: 9, Fig. 3C View FIGURE 3 ; Viana 2010: 18, Fig. 4A–H View FIGURE 4 ; Lima et al. 2011: 4, Fig. 3D View FIGURE 3 ; Miranda et al. 2012: 138, Fig. 2C View FIGURE 2 ; Barboza & Borges 2012: 8; Gondim et al. 2013a: 71 View Cited Treatment , Fig. 9 a–e View FIGURE 9 ; 2013b: 515, Fig. 2E–F View FIGURE 2 ; Souto & Martins 2017: 306; Bueno et al. 2018: 219, Fig. 60; Borrero-Perez et al. 2019: 191; Prata et al. 2020: 6, Fig. 5a–b View FIGURE 5 .

Material examined: Barra de Mamanguape reefs, Rio Tinto, PB: 6°45'54.0"S 34°55'04.0"W, 1 spec. ( UFPB / ECH-2432). Formosa Beach, Cabedelo, PB: 6º58'38.8"S 34º48'57.4"W, 2 spec. ( UFPB /ECH-2436). Bessa Beach, João Pessoa, PB: 7º04'33.0"S 34º49'30.0"W, 1 spec. ( UFPB /ECH-2433). Cabo Branco Beach, João Pessoa, PB: 7°08'41.1"S 34°47'43.9"W, 5 spec. ( UFPB /ECH-2438). Carapibus Beach, Conde, PB: 7°18'03.0"S 34°47'53.0"W, 1 spec. ( UFPB /ECH-2430); 3 spec. ( UFPB /ECH-2435); 2 spec. ( UFPB /ECH-2437); 7°17'59.0"S 34°47'54.0"W, 1 spec. ( UFPB /ECH-2431); 3 spec. ( UFPB /ECH-2434) GoogleMaps .

Description: specimen UFPB/ECH-2438.Circular disc ( dd = 11.70 mm and dh = 1.16 mm), dorsally covered by small, imbricated scales, of which the largest are close to the Radial shield (RS) and the edge of the disc. Separated, small, longer than wide RS, with a tapered proximal edge ( Fig. 5A View FIGURE 5 ). Ventral interradial region with scales like dorsal ones ( Fig. 5B View FIGURE 5 ). Wide bursal slits, extending to the seventh ventral arm plate (VAP), with genital papillae on their edges and genital scales ( Fig. 5B View FIGURE 5 ). Jaws with large octagonal oral shield, with rounded proximal edge and slightly tapered distal edge. Large madreporite, with a small whitish circular depression in the middle portion and visible pores on the distal edge ( Figs. 5B, C View FIGURE 5 ). Triangular adoral shields, tapered proximally, do not touch each other. Lyman’s ossicle much longer than wide, large adoral shield spine, and the secondary adoral shield spine, longer than wider, rounded buccal scale, in the same specimen one or two infradental papillae ( Fig. 5C View FIGURE 5 ). Five arms ( aw = 4.94 mm), about four times longer than the diameter of the disc, tapering distally. Hexagonal dorsal arm plate ( DAP), wider than long ( Figs. 5F View FIGURE 5 ; 6B View FIGURE 6 ). Large, semicircular accessory plate, occupying the entire side of the DAP ( Figs. 5F View FIGURE 5 ; 6D View FIGURE 6 ). Pentagonal VAP, as long as wide, with a small indentation in the distal edge and concave lateral edges; triangular first ventral arm plate, with a rounded distal edge ( Fig. 5C View FIGURE 5 ). A large and spatulated tentacle scale, exceeding more than half the length of the VAP ( Fig. 5G View FIGURE 5 ). Three arm spines tapered, with the apex slightly flattened, the middle one the largest ( Figs. 5F, G View FIGURE 5 ; 6H View FIGURE 6 ).

Microstructures: oral plate wider than long, abradial muscular area well defined, adradial joint area with muscle insertion area with striations positioned parallel or perpendicular; large dorsal tentacle compartment and ventral tentacle compartment ( Fig. 5E View FIGURE 5 ). Elongated dental plate (DP), proximal region with straight edge and rounded distal edge, outer portion with two tooth sockets (Ts), the proximal smaller than the distal; separated Ts by protruding protruding knobs; internally the DP has two dental cavities divided into four Ts that are separated by a large septum ( Fig. 6A View FIGURE 6 ). Lateral arm plate with proximal region convex ( Fig. 6E View FIGURE 6 ); ventral inner portion with a single large perforation ( Fig. 6F View FIGURE 6 ); outer portion with three C-shaped spine articulation, curved, parallels and separated ( Fig. 6G View FIGURE 6 ). Vertebrae zygospondylous type: dorsal view of the vertebra with the middle portion V-shaped, dorsal groove slightly deep and wide dorso-distal muscular fossae ( Fig. 6I View FIGURE 6 ); ventral view of the vertebra with elongated ventral groove, deep in middle region, with four muscle fossaes, well defined, being the dorsal deeper, the distal circular ( Fig. 6J View FIGURE 6 ); proximal view ( Fig. 6K View FIGURE 6 ) and distal view ( Fig. 6L View FIGURE 6 ) of the vertebrae with dorsal muscle area very larger than ventral muscle area.

Intraspecific variations: Younger specimens usually show a whitish disc, without reticulations, larger dorsal scales, and a visible primary plate, radial shields are triangular and wider distally and dorsal arm plates are square. The pattern reticulations change as the organism grows. Color light brown, with disc covered by thin reticulations dark brown, that form some spots (circles) not uniform ( Fig. 5A View FIGURE 5 ), ventral interradial region with reticulations, arms with transversal bands that intercalate into four to six lighter plates and one or more dark plates ( Fig. 5F View FIGURE 5 ).

Taxonomic comments: the species has also been described with octogonal adoral shield, extended distally, and each hemimandible with three to five oral papillae ( Tommasi 1970) or two to three apical papillae ( Gondim et al. 2013a). The analyzed specimens have between three to four papillae. Many specimens show a color green, with red lines and bands in the disc and arms ( Tommasi 1970).

Morphological variations: a total of 19 specimens were analyzed. Bigger dd: 11.70 mm, smaller dd: 2.84 mm. Average of the dd = 7.73 mm with sd = 2.58 mm, dh = 1.09 mm com sd = 0.48 mm, aw = 3.12 mm com sd = 1.13 mm, la = 34.02 mm com sd = 12.96 mm ( Table 2).

Substrate: the specimens were collected under rocks and associated with rhodoliths, due to their nocturnal habit, with phototaxis, they prefer dark shelters ( Hendler et al. 1995), but can also occur in rock crevices ( Alves & Cerqueira 2000), sand, corals, and shell bottoms ( Lima & Fernandes 2009; Gondim et al. 2013a).

Bathymetric distribution: from intertidal to about 560 m ( Tommasi 1970; Prata et al. 2020).

Geographical distribution: South Carolina, Florida, Bermudas, Dry Tortugas, Bahamas, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Barbados, Tobago, Belize, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil ( Tommasi 1970; Hendler et al. 1995). In Brazil: Piauí ( Gondim et al. 2013b), Ceará ( Lima-Verde 1969), Paraíba in Cabo Branco Beach and Barra de Mamanguape reefs ( Gondim et al. 2008; 2013a; Oliveira et al. 2010; Prata et al. 2020), Bessa Beach, Carapibus Beach and Formosa Beach (present study), Pernambuco ( Lima & Fernandes 2009), Alagoas ( Lima et al. 2011; Miranda et al. 2012) and Bahia ( Alves & Cerqueira 2000; Magalhães et al. 2005; Souto & Martins 2017).