Ophiuridae are a large

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

brittle star Brittle stars, serpent stars, or ophiuroids (; ; referring to the serpent-like arms of the brittle star) are echinoderms in the class Ophiuroidea, closely related to starfish. They crawl across the sea floor using their flexible arms for locomot ...

s of the suborder

Ophiurina Ophiurina are a suborder of brittle stars containing the majority of living brittle star species. Characteristics Ophiurina contain a large number of ophiuroids with characteristics ranging from skin just covering the disk, the presence or abs ...

Description

The arms are simple and unbranched, projecting from and well-fused to the edge of the disc. These arms move horizontally. The arm spines short and movable. They lie flat against the arms when stimulated, but held erect when the brittle star is at rest. Disc and arms are covered in naked, distinct scales. The scales are situated at both sides of the disc. The jaw is surrounded by a continuous series of mouth papillae. The base of the arm contains a single arm comb or an inner and outer arm comb.

Systematics and phylogeny

The fossils of Ophiuridae date back to

Carboniferous The Carboniferous ( ) is a Geologic time scale, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), system of the Paleozoic era (geology), era that spans 60 million years, from the end of the Devonian Period Ma (million years ago) to the beginning of the ...

('' Aganaster''†). The family includes the following living genera: *'' Anthophiura'' *'' Astrophiura'' *'' Dictenophiura'' *'' Euvondrea'' *'' Gymnophiura'' *'' Haplophiura'' *'' Homophiura'' *'' Ophiambix'' *'' Ophioceramis'' *'' Ophiochalcis'' *'' Ophiochorus'' *'' Ophiochrysis'' *'' Ophiocrates'' *'' Ophiocrossota'' *'' Ophioctenella'' *'' Ophiocypris'' *'' Ophioelegans'' *'' Ophiogona'' *'' Ophiolipus'' *'' Ophiomisidium'' *'' Ophionotus'' *'' Ophiopenia'' *'' Ophiophyllum'' *'' Ophiopleura'' *'' Ophiopyren'' *'' Ophiopyrgus'' *'' Ophiosphalma'' *'' Ophiosteira'' *'' Ophioteichus'' *'' Ophiotjalfa'' *'' Ophiotylos'' *'' Ophiotypa'' *'' Ophiozona'' *'' Ophiura'' *'' Ophiuraster'' *'' Ophiurinae'' *'' Ophiuroglypha'' *'' Sinophiura'' *'' Spinophiura'' *'' Stegophiura'' *'' Theodoria'' *'' Uriopha'' (This list includes the genera sometimes placed in the family Ophioleucidae, here included in Ophiuridae as the subfamily OphioleucinaeThe World Ophiuroidea Database - Ophioleucinae Matsumoto, 1915
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References

* Hansson, H.G. (2001). Echinodermata, in: Costello, M.J. et al. (Ed.) (2001). European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Collection Patrimoines Naturels, 50: pp. 336–351 * P.J. Hayward and J.S. E-Ryland (ed.), Handbook of the Marine Fauna of North-West Europe, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1996, Ophiurida Echinoderm families Mississippian first appearances Extant Carboniferous first appearances {{ophiuroidea-stub