WoRMS taxon details
original description
(of Ophiothrix aspidota Müller & Troschel, 1842) Müller, J. and Troschel, F. H. (1842). System der Asteriden.1. Asteriae. 2. Ophiuridae. <em>Vieweg: Braunschweig.</em> xxx+134 pp. 12 pls., available online at http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/44159 [details]
basis of record
Clark, A. M.; Rowe, F. W. E. (1971). Monograph of shallow-water indo-west Pacific Echinoderms. <em>Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History).</em> London. x + 238 p. + 30 pls., available online at http://www.abctaxa.be/downloads/additional-information-volume-1/works-famous-holothuroid-workers/fwe-rowe/MonographIndoWestPacific.pdf [details]
additional source
Clark, A. M.; Courtman-Stock, J. (1976). The echinoderms of southern Africa. Publ. No. 766. British Museum (Nat. Hist), London. 277 pp. [details]
Unverified
Description Disc colour purplish-brown, with some variegation, but never any trace of a longitudinal light stripe (Balinsky, 1957). Disc diameter 10 mm, arms (broken) about 6 times the disc diameter. Disc scales with cylindrical stumps, 2-3 times as long as wide, ending with 2-3 points, more scattered and taper to a single point on the oral side. Radial shield large and bare. Dorsal arm plates variable in shape, white spots chiefly along the distal edge, a large median white mark may appear as a discontinuous longitudinal licht-coloured line, the distal plates may have a white border. Distal edge nearly straight on the proximal ventral arm plates, then more or less concave; usually white with two lateral purple spots; two dark plates may occur every third segment, giving a banded effect. Arm spines not clavate, the lowest one is a transparent hook with 2-3 smooth points, grey colour. Disc blue grey, radial shields with some black spots (Tortonese, 1980).
Habitat: dead coral, coral reef (Balinsky, 1957).
General distribution: from East Africa (previous reports are uncertain) perhaps to Philippines (Tortonese, 1980); tropical Indo-Pacific, also in Australia in Kalk (1958).
Also distributed in W India, Pakistan, Ceylon, Bay of Bengal, East Indies (according to Clark & ,Rowe (1971) needs confirmation) and Philippine (Clark & Rowe, 1971). [details]
Type locality 'Ostindien'
The records of Balinsky (1957) from Mozambique and Koehler (1957) from Madagascar may have been based on material of M. robillardi (Clark & Rowe, 1971). [details]
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