Ophiolebes cf. paulensis

Ophiolebes cf. paulensis View in CoL

Fig. 20a–c View FIGURE 20

STUDY MATERIAL. — JC066 : stn 4-9, Coral seamount, 41° 21.0283´S, 42° 55.145´E to 41° 21.7´S, 42° 54.8´E, 1100 m, 14/11/2011: 1 ( NHMUK 2025.42 About NHMUK ) GoogleMaps ( DNA code= JC066-3862 ) .

Description. Disc petaloid, incised interradially, 7 mm dd, disc scales round, thin and perforated, obscured by a layer of skin and spines; disc spines robust sparse, central spines to 0.6 mm long, 3x as long as wide, slightly capitate (due to thicker skin at tip), lateral spines more like slightly elongated granules, absent for most of ventral disc; disc is distorted but triangular distal end to the radial shields appear to be naked,

Oral shields as long as wide, widest proximally with an obtuse angle, and acute proximolateral angles, rounded distally; adoral shields short and thick, positioned proximal to oral shields, rectangular to rhomboid, 2x as wide as long, fully contiguous interradially, separated radially by VAP1, beaded surface; jaw short and wide, bearing spiniform bluntly pointed teeth and 2 similar-shaped lateral oral papillae, the outer with a slightly roughened tip, 3x as long as wide. Genital slits open from oral shield to disc margin.

Arms curled under disc, 2x dd; DAPs ovoid, 1.5x longer than wide, widest distally, with rounded margins, separated by a small decalcified section; VAP1 2x as long as wide, slightly widened proximally, separated from VAP2 by LAP1s that meet on the ventral midline, VAP2-5 as long as wide, with a rounded distal margin and acute proximal angle, separated; 3 arm spines on first arm segment, 4 on next 2 segments under the disc, 5 arm spines at beginning of free arm, uppermost longest to 1.5 segments in length, upper 3 spines slightly tapering to a blunt tip, lowest 2 spines slightly capitate (due to thick skin at tip). 0.7x segment in length, distally can be 6 arm spines, all less than a segment long, upper one a little longer, lower arm spines with some thorns but generally hidden by a layer of thick skin; tentacle scales apparently absent (the small basal podia can look like tentacle scales). Colour: pale brown.

Distribution. Coral Seamount ( 1100 m).

Remarks. This species is very similar to O. paulensis O’Hara & Thuy, 2022 from the St Paul /Amsterdam islands. Many of the features that look different are due to preservation (the types were dried). In particular, the capitate disc and lower arm spines on the JC066 specimen is due to thickened skin at the spine tip. However, there are some real differences as well. The types had 3 oral papillae on longer jaws and longer sausage-shaped adoral shields. More material is required to assess the importance of these variations. The South African species Ophiosemnotes corynephora (H.L. Clark, 1923) has superficially similar disc spines but differs in having wide exposed radial shields.