Ophiurina are a suborder of

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 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 absence of arm combs, and an infradental papilla occurring with a distinct diastema between it and its flanking oral papillae

Systematics

There is currently no consensus as to the subdivision of the Ophiurina (traditionally, the infraorders have been treated as suborders). It contains the genera Amphiura, Amphipholis, and Ophiacantha. The suborder has been divided into the following recent infraorders and families :Smith, A.B.; Paterson, G.L.J., Ophiuroid phylogeny and higher taxonomy: morphological, molecular and palaeontological perspectives. Zool. J. Linn. Soc. 114 (1995) *

Ophiacanthidae Ophiacanthidae is a family of brittle stars. Axel Vilhelm Ljungman circumscribed this taxon in 1867; he initially named the subfamily Ophiacanthinae within the family Amphiuridae Amphiuridae (commonly called long-armed burrowing brittle stars ...

Hemieuryalina *

Hemieuryalidae Hemieuryalidae is a family of echinoderms belonging to the order Amphilepidida Amphilepidida is an order of echinoderms belonging to the class Ophiuroidea. Families: * Amphilepididae * Amphilimnidae * Amphiuridae * Hemieuryalidae * Ophiact ...

Chilophiurina *

Ophiuridae Ophiuridae are a large family (biology), family of brittle stars of the suborder Ophiurina. 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 sh ...

Gnathophiurina The Gnathophiurina are a group of Ophiuroidea mostly treated as suborder (but at first as an order Gnathophiurida, and sometimes as infraorder of OphiurinaSmith, A.B.; Paterson, G.L.J. . Ophiuroid phylogeny and higher taxonomy: morphological, ...

Amphilepididae Amphilepididae are a small family of brittle stars of the suborder Gnathophiurina The Gnathophiurina are a group of Ophiuroidea mostly treated as suborder (but at first as an order Gnathophiurida, and sometimes as infraorder of OphiurinaSm ...

Amphiuridae Amphiuridae (commonly called long-armed burrowing brittle stars or burrowing brittle stars) are a large family of brittle stars of the suborder Gnathophiurina The Gnathophiurina are a group of Ophiuroidea mostly treated as suborder (but at ...

Ophiothricidae Ophiotrichidae are a family of brittle stars within the suborder Gnathophiurina. All of its species have arms with delicate, translucent, thorny spines. Their arms are flexible in all directions. Their jaws contain clusters of well-developed too ...

Ophiactidae Ophiactidae are a family of brittle stars. Genera The following genera are recognised by the World Register of Marine Species The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) is a taxonomic database that aims to provide an authoritative and com ...

Ophionereididae Ophionereididae are a family of 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 ...

Ophiocomidae Ophiocomidae are a family of brittle stars of the suborder Ophiurina. Systematics and phylogeny Ophiocomidae has been placed (along with Ophionereididae) to the superfamily Ophiocomidea and infraorder Gnathophiurina or suborder Gnathophiurina ...

Ophiodermatina *

Ophiochitonidae Ophionereididae are a family of 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 ...

Ophiodermatidae Ophiodermatidae are a family of brittle stars in the order Ophiacanthida. Systematics and phylogeny Some fossils date as far back as the Changhsingian age, late in the Permian The Permian ( ) is a geologic period and System (stratigraphy), ...

* Ophiolepidina *

Ophiolepididae Ophiolepididae are a family of brittle stars. It includes both deep-sea and shallow-water species. Systematics and phylogeny The fossils of Ophiolepididae date back to the Anisian age of the Middle Triassic In the geologic timescale, the Mid ...

References

Ophiurida {{ophiuroidea-stub