PBDB Taxon

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Ophiura

Ophiuroidea - Ophiurida - Ophiuridae

Taxonomy

Ophiura was named by Lamarck (1801) [Sepkoski's age data: K Albi-u R]. It is extant. It is the type genus of Ophiuridae.

It was assigned to Ophiomastinae by Matsumoto (1915), Wolburg (1939); to Ophiolepididae by Berry (1941); to Ophiurinae by Lyman (1865), Spencer and Wright (1966); to Ophiurida by Sepkoski (2002); and to Ophiuridae by Stöhr et al. (2011), O'Hara et al. (2018).

Species lacking formal opinion data

O. robusta, O. sarsi

Entered

by J. Sepkoski on 2003-01-23; modified by L. Villier on 2013-10-27

Synonyms

Ophioglypha was named by Lyman (1860). It is extant.

It was reranked as Ophiura (Ophioglypha) by Barbier et al. (1957); it was synonymized subjectively with Ophiura by Spencer and Wright (1966).

It was assigned to Ophiuridae by Lyman (1860); to Ophiolepididae by Clark and Twitchell (1915); and to Ophiura by Barbier et al. (1957).

Synonymy list

Year	Name and author
1801	Ophiura Lamarck
1860	Ophioglypha Lyman
1865	Ophiura Lyman
1915	Ophioglypha Clark and Twitchell p. 29
1915	Ophiura Matsumoto p. 76
1939	Ophiura Wolburg p. 24
1941	Ophiura Berry p. 61
1957	Ophiura (Ophioglypha) Barbier et al.
1966	Ophiura Spencer and Wright p. U95
2002	Ophiura Sepkoski
2011	Ophiura Stöhr et al. p. 115
2018	Ophiura O'Hara et al. p. 9

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Rank	Name	Author
kingdom	Animalia	()
—	Bilateria
—	Eubilateria	Ax 1987
—	Deuterostomia
—	Ambulacraria
phylum	Echinodermata
subphylum	Eleutherozoa
—	Asterozoa	()
class	Ophiuroidea

Rank	Name	Author
—	Ankhurida	Thuy et al. 2024
—	Ophiovalida	Thuy et al. 2024
infraclass	Metophiurida	Matsumoto 1913
superorder	Euryophiurida
order	Ophiurida	()
suborder	Ophiurina
family	Ophiuridae
genus	Ophiura

If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.

G. Ophiura Lamarck 1801

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Subg. †Ophiura (Aspidura) von Hagenow 1840

†Ophiura achatae Rasmussen 1972

†Ophiura astonensis Hess 1964

†Ophiura bartonensis Rasmussen 1972

†Ophiura bognoriensis Rasmussen 1972

†Ophiura carpelloides Rasmussen 1972

†Ophiura costata Rasmussen 1972

†Ophiura cretacea Guéranger 1853

†Ophiura cunliffei Forbes 1846

†Ophiura davisi Rasmussen 1972

†Ophiura furiae Rasmussen 1972

†Ophiura graysonensis Alexander 1931

†Ophiura hendleri Blake and Aronson 1998

†Ophiura kunradeca Berry 1938

†Ophiura marylandica Berry 1934

†Ophiura olifex Quenstedt 1876

Ophiura ophiura Linnaeus 1758

†Ophiura paucilepis Stöhr et al. 2011

Ophiura sarsii Lütken 1856

†Ophiura serrata Roemer 1841

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Invalid names: Ophioderma arkonensis Müller 1950 [synonym], Ophioglypha gracilis Valette 1914 [synonym], Ophiura parvisentum Spencer 1907 [synonym]

†Ophiura sternbergica Kutscher 1981

†Ophiura straini Cornell et al. 1991

†Ophiura texana Clark 1893

†Ophiura tinurtiensis Valette 1929

†Ophiura travisana Berry 1941

†Ophiura wetherelli Forbes 1852

Invalid names: Ophioglypha Lyman 1860 [synonym]

Diagnosis

Reference	Diagnosis
H. Matsumoto 1915	Disk low, flat, covered with plates and scales, among which the primaries are usually very prominent,. Radial shields usually separated from each other, sometimes more or less joined in pairs. Second oral tentacle pores open nearly or entirely outside oral slits, very large, beset with numerous scales. Genital papillae, and usually also arm combs, present. Arms low, often flattened. Dorsal arm plates usually well developed and in contact with each other. Lateral arm plates low, those of the two sides being in contact with each other below. Three or more arm spines of variable length. Tentacle pores of one or two innermost pairs large and beset with rather numerous scales, but those beyond very small and beset with a few scales.
S. Stöhr et al. 2011	Disc low, flat, covered by small, imbricating plates, primary rosette usually distinct. Radial shields more or less separated. Arms not stout, gradually tapering, usually deep incisions next to arm bases (distal bursal slits). Dorsal arm plates well developed, adjacent plates usually contiguous, several proximal dorsal plates included in the disc, separating radial shields. Genital papillae well developed, arm combs present. Second oral tentacle pore opens into mouth slit, beset with numerous small papillae, which often form a continuous row with the oral papillae. Ventral arm plates much wider than long, usually separated, at least outside disc.