Ophionereis annulata (Le Conte 1851)

In Panama this species has been collected from Perico Island (USNM E 23520), Tabogilla Island (USNM E 663), Paitilla Point (USNM E 23386), Venado Beach (USNM E 23608) and San Francisco De La Caleta (USNM E 6218) in Panama Bay, and from the Perlas Archipelago (USNM E 6774), including Pedro Gonzales Island (USNM E 23279; Centroid Latitude: 8.3800, Centroid Longitude: -79.0983), Gulf of Panama, eastern Pacific.

Le Conte, J.L. (1851). Zoological Notes. Proceedings of the Society of Natural History Philadelphia, 5, 317-320.

Lütken, C.F. (1855). Bidrag til Kundskab om Slangestjernerne. I. Forelöbig Oversigt over Grönlandshavet Ophiurer. Videnskabelige Meddelelser fra den naturhistoriske Forening 1854, 6: 95-104.

Ziesenhenne, F.C. (1940). New Ophiurans of the Allan Hancock Pacific Expeditions. Allan Hancock Pacific Expeditions, 8(2), 5-58, 9 pls.

World Ophiuroidea Database

LSID urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:243877

Ophiolepis annulata Le Conte, 1851
Ophiolepis triloba Lütken, 1856
Ophionereis dictyota Ziesenhenne, 1940
Ophionereis triloba (Le Conte, 1851)

This species (Ophionereis annulata) is common in the lower to middle intertidal zone.In this environment, adults are commonly found living underneath rocks, in various types of algae, or in the sand (Ricketts 155). Juveniles are often found in sponge beds or among masses of barnacles (Morris 184).

Experiments have determined that individuals of Ophionereis Annulata living in the Mexican Pacific are the preferred hosts of the scale worm Malmgreniella cf. variegate (Polychaeta, Polynoidae). The worm shows differing behaviors based on the level of light (Granja-Fernandez, et al. 86).

Upon approaching Ophionereis annulataunder daylight conditions the worm climbs onto the dorsal arm plates of the brittle star before immediately moving to the ventral plates, before crawling to the oral side of the center disk (Granja-Fernandez, et al. 87). Under low light conditions the worm remains on the dorsal side of Ophionereis annulata, and takes up residence on the aoral side of the central disk.

In all trials conducted chose Ophionereis annulata as its host over Ophiocoma aethiops, and Ophiocoma alexandri, two similar species of brittle stars with overlapping ranges(Granja-Fernandez, et al. 89).

Feeding is accomplished either by grasping food with the tip of the arm, then coiling the whole arm to bring it to the mouth, or by transporting particles to the mouth with the elongate tube feet (Ricketts 154). These two methods are used if the food particles are comparativelylarge, or small, respectively.

The arms of juvenile Ophionereis annulataare in general more flexible, and thinner in proportion to the size of their main disk, than those of adult specimens. (Morris 184).

Unlike the majority of species belonging to the Ophiuroid family, adult specimens of Ophionereis annulata move with a “stepping action” of their podia rather than by whole arm movements (Ricketts 155).

Ophionereis annulata larvae have the barrel like shape, and transverse bands of cilia characteristic of vitellaria larvae. They also subsist on yolk, as vitellaria larvae do, rather than feeding (Hendler 431). They are differentiated from most vitellaria larvae, however in that they have the vestiges of the pluteus-like skeleton that is typically only found in feeding, ophiopluteus, larvae.

The presence of this vestigial skeleton, but not the arms, digestive tract, or single ciliary band, typically found in ophionereisannulata larvae suggests that this species diverged from its feeding common ancestormore recently than some related species such as ophionereissquamulosa, which have no trace of a larval skeleton (Hendler 437).

Disk rounded (dd = 2.8 to 14.3 mm) and covered by small and imbricating scales. Central primary plate evident. Radial shields small, triangular and surrounded by large disk scales (Fig. 4J). Ventral interradius covered by imbricating scales, which are smaller than dorsal scales. Bursal slits large and with small genital papillae (Fig. 4K). Oral shields diamond-shape, longer than wide. The madreporite is evident. Adoral shields lanceolate, not meeting within. Four rounded and spaced oral papillae on each side of jaw. Single enlarged, triangular papillae found distally (Fig. 4L). Dorsal arm plates longer than wide. Accessory dorsal arm plates well developed (Fig. 4H). Ventral arm plates slightly longer than wide. Three arm spines with blunt tips. A single, flat and oval tentacle scale completely covering each tentacle pore (Fig. 4I). Disk light brown with closely spaced brown-purplish rounded spots. Arms with dark dorsal plates every fourth or fifth plate (Fig. 4G).

USA (California), Mexico, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador and Galapagos Islands (Verrill 1867, Campbell 1921, Nielsen 1932, Ziesenhenne 1937, 1940, Neira and Cantera 2005, Honey-Escandón et al. 2008, Alvarado et al. 2010). In Mexico, from the Gulf of California (Baja California Sur, Sonora, Sinaloa), Nayarit, Jalisco, Revillagigedo Islands, Colima, Michoacán, Guerrero and Oaxaca (Solís-Marín et al. 2005, Honey-Escandón et al. 2008, Granja-Fernández et al. 2013). From 0 to 229 m depth (Maluf 1988). In this study, Ophionereis annulata was collected on coral reefs from Jalisco, Colima, Michoacán, Guerrero and Oaxaca, from 3.6 to 13.5 m depth.