Ophiectodia Verrill, 1899

O’Hara, Timothy D. & Thuy, Ben, 2025, Seamount ophiuroids from the High Seas of the western Indian Ocean, Zootaxa 5718 (1), pp. 1-88 : 40

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5718.1.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:A97521F7-2BF1-4840-8C22-03AF6B0AE2D2
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17891359
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scientific name	Ophiectodia Verrill, 1899
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Ophiectodia Verrill, 1899 View in CoL

Ophiacantha (Ophiectodia) Verrill, 1899: 42 [ type Ophiacantha enopla Verrill, 1885 View in CoL designated herein].

TYPE SPECIES. Ophiectodia enopla

COMPARATIVE MATERIAL EXAMINED. Ophiodiplax antarctica ( Koehler, 1901) : US AMLR-09/40-29, South Orkney Islands, 61° 0.78´S, 44° 53.73´W to 60° 59.89´S, 44° 52.44´W, 265– 254 m, 17/2/2009 GoogleMaps , MV F168812 ( DNA code=F168812). Ophiolebes bacata Koehler, 1921 : CE13008/36, Rockall Trough , ‘ North’ Canyon, 54° 3.19´N, 12° 32.45´W, 1361 m GoogleMaps , 6/2013, NUI ( DNA code= NUI1402 A). Ophiolebes felli O’Hara & Thuy, 2022 : SS10/2005/44, Albany , 35° 26.046´S, 118° 21´E to 35° 26.244´S, 118° 21.06´E, 900–915 m, 25/11/2005 GoogleMaps , MV F112106 ( DNA code=F112106). Ophiolebes vestitus Lyman, 1878 : Talud Continental 1/11, Mar del Plata Submarine Canyon, 37° 59.258´S, 54° 41.436´W, 854 m, 11/8/2012 GoogleMaps , CNP-INV ( DNA code=L11D). Ophiolebes yaldwyni Fell, 1958 : TAN1104/9, Clark Seamount , south flank, 36° 30.252´S, 177° 52.62´E to 36° 30.108´S, 177° 52.392´E, 1583– 1576 m, 3/3/2011 GoogleMaps , NIWA 72089 ( DNA code=72089).

Remarks. Ophiacantha is a polyphyletic taxon. The type species is O. bidentata but most Ophiacantha species are not closely related to this species, and they are separated from the type species on our phylogeny by other genera. This includes a clade of species related to O. enopla and O. veterna with a disc covering of minute granules, minute tentacle scales, and 3–4 oral papillae. We resurrect the genus-level name Ophiectodia Verrill, 1899 for this clade of species. Verrill never nominated a type species but included 3 species ( O. enopla , O. rosea and O. spectabilis ) in his genus. The only specimens he had to hand were O. enopla , which we designate as the type species. The species O. rosea and O. spectabilis are now considered to belong to Ophiosabine and Ophiotreta respectively. Other described species in our DNA clade include O. imago Lyman, 1878 from Kerguelen and the 6–7 armed O. opulenta Koehler, 1908 from the Antarctic lower bathyal.

The sister clade to Ophiectodia is Ophiolebes . The sister lineage to these two clades is O. antarctica Koehler, 1901 for which we further resurrect the available genus-level name Ophiodiplax Koehler, 1911 .