Ophiothrix ( Ophiothrix ) angulata ( Say, 1825 )

Ophiothrix ( Ophiothrix) angulata ( Say, 1825) View in CoL

Ophiura angulate — Say, 1825: 145–146.

Ophiothrix angulata View in CoL — Krau 1950: 358; Lima-Verde 1969: 12; Boffi 1969: 450; 1972: 319; Nunes 1975: 181; Monteiro 1987: 90, Est. IXa–d; 1997: 183; Tommasi & Aron 1987: 3; Guille & Albuquerque 1987: 147; Manso & Absalão 1988: 79; Manso 1993: 193; Tommasi 1999; Capítoli & Monteiro 2000: 46; Alves & Cerqueira 2000: 546; Morgado & Tanaka 2001: 177; Borges 2001: 110, Fig. 1.57C–D View FIGURE 1 ; 2006: 65; Borges et al. 2002: 58, Fig. 34c–d; 2004: 157; Capítoli & Benvenuti 2004; Manso 2004: 20; Neto et al. 2005: 213; Borges & Amaral 2005: 271, Fig. A–C; Magalhães et al. 2005: 63; Ventura et al. 2006: 352; Neves et al. 2007: 1265; Majer 2008; Manso et al. 2008: 194, Fig. 21 View FIGURE 21 ; Lima & Fernandes 2009: 61; Oliveira et al. 2010: 9, Fig. 3Q View FIGURE 3 ; Xavier 2010; Lima et al. 2011: 8, Fig. 5F View FIGURE 5 ; Miranda et al. 2012: 140, Fig. 2D View FIGURE 2 ; Bueno et al. 2018: 220, Fig. 62; Prata et al. 2020: 7, Fig. 5c–d View FIGURE 5 .

Ophiothrix ( Ophiothrix) angulata View in CoL — Tommasi 1970: 54, Fig. 53–54; Albuquerque 1986: 170, Fig. 27a–c, est. IX, Fig. 2a–c View FIGURE 2 ; Albuquerque & Guille 1991: 10; Gondim et al. 2008: 154; Viana 2010: 10, Fig. 2A–G View FIGURE 2 ; Barboza & Borges 2012: 15; Gondim et al. 2013a: 67 View Cited Treatment , Fig. 2 f–j View FIGURE 2 , 14 c View FIGURE 14 ; 2013b: 514, Fig. 4A–B View FIGURE 4 ; Paim et al. 2015: 14, Fig. 9 View FIGURE 9 ; Alitto et al. 2016: 10, Fig.6I–J View FIGURE 6 ; Souto & Martins 2017: 306; Borrero-Perez et al. 2019: 191.

Material examined: Barra de Mamanguape reefs, Rio Tinto, PB: 6°45'49.35"S 34°55'4.85"W, 4 spec. ( UFPB / ECH–2470); GoogleMaps 6°45'54.0"S 34°55'04.0"W, 1 spec. ( UFPB /ECH–2472); GoogleMaps 1 spec. ( UFPB /ECH–2473); GoogleMaps 1 spec. ( UFPB / ECH–2474). GoogleMaps Formosa Beach, Cabedelo, PB: 6°58'55.5"S 34°48'55.3"W, 1 spec. ( UFPB /ECH–2471). GoogleMaps Carapibus Beach, Conde, PB: 7°18'03.0"S 34°47'53.0"W, 1 spec. ( UFPB /ECH–2475). GoogleMaps Tambaba Beach, Conde, PB: 7º21'59.1"S 34º47'51.4"W, 1 spec. ( UFPB /ECH–2476) GoogleMaps .

Description: specimen UFPB/ECH–2471. Pentagonal disc ( dd = 4.85 mm and dh = 1.51 mm), dorsally covered by large, irregular, and overlapping scales, from which small bifid or trifid spines emerge and occupy the entire disc. Large, triangular radial shield, very separated by a row of spines and covered by some bifid or trifid spines ( Fig. 21A View FIGURE 21 ). Ventral interradial region covered by scales and spines similar to dorsal ones. Wide and long bursal slits, with genital plates at the base of the arms. Rounded madreporite ( Fig. 21B View FIGURE 21 ). Jaw with diamond-shaped oral shield, as wide as long, with tapered edges ( Figs 21C, F View FIGURE 21 ). Large and triangular adoral shield, with a tapered proximal edge ( Figs 21C, G View FIGURE 21 ). A medial column of abbreviated tooth papillae (TPa) flanked by columns of larger TPas ( Fig. 21C View FIGURE 21 ). Five arms ( aw = 3.47 mm) are about four times longer than the dd. Trapezoidal dorsal arm plate, wider than long, with a rounded distal edge ( Figs 21H View FIGURE 21 ; 22E View FIGURE 22 ). Hexagonal ventral arm plate wider than long, with a slightly concave distal edge ( Figs 21I View FIGURE 21 ; 22F View FIGURE 22 ); first ventral arm plate with the distal edge expanded and the proximal well tapered ( Fig. 21C View FIGURE 21 ). A small and triangular tentacle scale ( Fig. 21I View FIGURE 21 ). Eight long arms spines with denticles, the penultimate dorsalmost arm spine is the biggest and the last ventral most arm spine is smaller or modified into a hook ( Figs 21H, I View FIGURE 21 ; 22A, J View FIGURE 22 ).

Microstructures: oral plate longer than wide, with abradial muscular area well defined, with rib-like branching structures, and long radial channel ( Fig. 21D View FIGURE 21 ); adradial joint area with narrow and striated muscle insertion area, large dorsal tentacle compartment and ventral tentacle compartment ( Fig. 21E View FIGURE 21 ). Dental plate with 10 tooth sockets (Ts) in the proximal region, that gradually decrease in size, protruding knobs protruding from the sides of Ts and separated by narrow Septum; the side of the distal portion with sockets of tooth papillae ( Figs 22B, C View FIGURE 22 ); teeth longer than wide, distal surface with long and smooth region ( Fig. 22D View FIGURE 22 ). Wide lateral arm plate, slightly curved in the proximal region ( Fig. 22G View FIGURE 22 ); inner portion with a single large perforation ( Fig. 22H View FIGURE 22 ); outer portion with five spine articulations ( Fig. 22I View FIGURE 22 ). Vertebrae zygospondylous type: vertebra dorsal view with medial portion Y-shaped, slightly deep dorsal groove ( Fig. 22K View FIGURE 22 ); vertebra ventral view with wide, elongated, and deep ventral groove ( Fig. 22L View FIGURE 22 ); vertebra proximal view ( Fig. 22M View FIGURE 22 ) and distal view ( Fig. 22N View FIGURE 22 ) with dorsal muscle area much larger than ventral muscle area.

Taxonomic comments: the species was also described with pentagonal disc, covered by trifid spines ( Tommasi 1970; Prata et al. 2020), or with bifid or trifid spines ( Gondim et al. 2013b; Paim et al. 2015; Alitto et al. 2018), dorsal arm plate (DAP) distal portion with a slight projection, lateral arm plate longer than wide and more curved ( Alitto et al. 2018). Dorsal disc with violet color, DAP have spots and a white line in the medial portion that runs along the entire arm, whitish ventral disc ( Figs 21A, H, I View FIGURE 21 ).

Morphometric variations: a total of 10 specimens were analyzed. Bigger dd: 6.32 mm, smaller dd: 1.90 mm. The general average dd = 3.64 mm with sd = 1.46 mm, dh = 1.13 mm with sd = 0.29 mm, aw = 2.25 mm with sd = 0.95 mm and la = 17.06 mm with sd = 11.25 mm ( Table 10).

Substrate: the specimens were collected under rocks, rhodoliths, and the young associated with algae branches. This species can be found in different substrates, such as sand, gravel, broken shells, coral, sponge, mud ( Tommasi 1970; Alves & Cerqueira 2000), meadows of marine phanerogams, estuarine areas ( Lima & Fernandes 2009), in oyster beds and on sessile animals as Millepora sp. , gorgonians, among others ( Hendler et al. 1995).

Bathymetric distribution: from the intertidal zone to 540 m ( Tommasi 1970; Borges et al. 2002).

Geographic distribution: Bermuda, Bahama Islands, North Carolina, Florida, Texas, Dry Tortugas, Greater and Lesser Antilles, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Uruguai ( Tommasi 1970; Hendler et al. 1995; Benavides-Serrato et al. 2011). In Brazil: Maranhão, Piauí ( Gondim et al. 2013b), Ceará ( Lima-Verde 1969), Paraíba in the Cabo Branco Beach and Barra de Mamanguape reefs ( Gondim et al. 2008; 2013a; Prata et al. 2020), Carapibus Beach, Formosa Beach and Tambaba Beach (present study), Pernambuco ( Lima & Fernandes 2009), Alagoas ( Oliveira et al. 2010; Lima et al. 2011; Miranda et al. 2012), Bahia ( Alves & Cerqueira 2000; Magalhães et al. 2005; Manso et al. 2008; Paim et al. 2015; Souto & Martins 2017), Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Santa Catarina ( Tommasi 1970).