Revision of the genus Ophioteichus HL Clark, 1938 (Ophiuroidea: Ophiolepididae)

摘要

In this study we re-describe the ophiuroid genus Ophioteichus H. L. Clark, 1938 and diagnose the species using existing and new characters found by examining the type material. The species Ophiolepis utinomii Irimura, 1967, is very similar to the holotype of Ophioteichus multispinum, and is herein transferred to the genus Ophioteichus; this transfer expands the geographic range of the genus. Ophioteichus is currently composed of three species: Ophioteichus parvispinum, Ophioteichus multispinum and Ophioteichus utinomii comb. nov. The genus is now known from the eastern part of Australia, Philippines and the coast of Japan, with a bathymetric range from littoral down to 45.3 m.