Belongs within: Asterozoa.
Contains: Lysophiurina, Zeugophiurina, Ophiurida.
The Ophiuroidea include the brittle stars, a group of starfish-like echinoderms with slender arms distinctly divided from the central disc. In the Ordovician to Devonian Stenurida, the structure of the arm joints more or less allowed for only simple movements, but in other groups the arm plates are progressively modified into articulating vertebrae. Many non-stenurid ophiuroids (except early members of the paraphyletic ‘Oegophiurida’) also exhibit the movement of the originally lateral madreporite onto the oral surface (Spencer & Wright 1966).
The Oegophiurida have been recognised as a group of brittle stars lacking oral or radial shields. The greater diversity of oegophiuridans is extinct, but the living Ophiocanops has been identified by some authors as a surviving oegophiuridan. Oegophiuridans are otherwise paraphyletic to the clade of modern ophiuroids in the Ophiurida.
Characters (Spencer & Wright 1966): Disc usually sharply distinct from slender elongate arms; most primitive forms retaining traces of metapinnular structures in arms, but in most species bulk of arm cavity filled with complex ossicles of axial skeleton; ossicles of adaxial skeleton forming side plates, primitively movable but in advanced forms firmly fixed to axial ossicles. Respiration by means of gills which typically are placed in enlarged interrays. Spines inconspicuous or absent except on lateral edges of arms and jaws.
Ophiuroidea [Ophiuromorpha]
|--Oegophiurida [Oegophiuroidea]B01
| |--LysophiurinaSW66
| `--+--ZeugophiurinaS97
| `--OphiuridaS97
`--StenuridaB01
|--Klasmuridae [Scalarina]B01
| |--Klasmura Ruedemann 1916SW66
| | `--*K. mirabilis Ruedemann 1916SW66
| `--Pectenura Haude 1982B01
| |--*P. horni Haude 1982B01
| |--P. excubitor Boczarowski 2001B01
| |--P. formosa Boczarowski 2001B01
| |--P. hamata Boczarowski 2001B01
| |--P. pecten Boczarowski 2001B01
| `--P. senta Boczarowski 2001B01
|--Parophiurina [Parophiura]B01
| |--Eophiura Jaekel 1903 [Eophiuridae]SW66
| | `--E. bohemica Schuchert 1914SW66
| |--Stenaster Billings 1858 [incl. Tetraster Nicholson & Etheridge 1880; Stenasteridae]SW66
| | `--S. obtusus (Forbes 1848) [=Uranaster obtusus; incl. *S. salteri Billings 1858]SW66
| |--Antiquaster [Antiquasteridae]SG93
| | `--A. magrumi Kesling 1971SG93
| `--PalaeuridaeB01
| |--Palaeura Jaekel 1903B01
| | `--*P. neglecta Jaekel 1903SW66
| |--Medusaster Stürtz 1890SW66
| | `--*M. rhenanus Stürtz 1890SW66
| `--Umerophiura Boczarowski 2001B01
| |--*U. opiparia Boczarowski 2001B01
| `--U. umera Boczarowski 2001B01
`--ProturinaB01
|--Phragmactis Spencer 1940 [Phragmactidae, Phragmactinidae]SW66
| `--*P. grayae Spencer 1940SW66
|--Bdellacoma Salter 1857 [Bdellacomidae]SW66
| `--*B. vermiformis (Salter 1857) [=Palaeocoma (*Bdellacoma) vermiformis]SW66
|--RhopalocomidaeSW66
| |--Rhopalocoma Salter 1857SW66
| | `--*R. pyrotechnica (Salter 1857) [=Palaeocoma (*Rhopalocoma) pyrotechnica]SW66
| `--Ptilonaster Hall 1868SW66
| `--*P. princeps Hall 1868SW66
`--PradesuridaeB01
|--Pradesura Spencer 1951SW66
| `--*P. jacobi (Thoral 1935) [=Palaeura jacobi]SW66
`--Stuertzaster Etheridge 1899B01 (see below for synonymy)
|--*S. marstoni (Salter 1857)B01 [=*Palaeocoma marstoniSW66]
|--S. colviniSW66
|--S. liquidus Boczarowski 2001B01
|--S. mitchelli Etheridge 1899F71
|--S. spinosissima (Roemer 1863)SG93
`--S. utroquecognitus Boczarowski 2001B01
Ophiuroidea incertae sedis:
Calyptactis Spencer 1930B02, SW66 [Calyptactinidae]
`--*C. spinosus Spencer 1930B02
‘Asteriacites’ ophiurus von Schlotheim 1820 (n. d.) [incl. Asteriatites eremita von Schlotheim 1813 (n. n.)]WR78
Strataster Kesling & Le Vasseur 1971B01
Acroura Agassiz 1836 (n. d.)SW66 [=Amphiglypha Pohlig 1878B89]
|--*A. prisca (Münster in Goldfuss 1831) (n. d.)SW66 [=Ophiura priscaSW66, Aspidura (*Amphiglypha) priscaB89]
`--A. granulataB89
Ataxaster Jaekel 1903 (n. d.)SW66
`--*A. pygmaeus Jaekel 1903 (n. d.)SW66
Ephippiellum Lomnicki 1899 (n. d.)SW66
`--*E. symmetricum Lomnicki 1899 (n. d.)SW66
Dolicharthra Berry 1938SW66
`--*D. bemelenica Berry 1938SW66
Ophiaxina Müller 1950SW66
`--*O. intercarinata Müller 1950SW66
Ophioma Pomel 1887 (n. d.)SW66
`--*O. juliensis Pomel 1887 (n. d.)SW66
Ophiotrigonum Hess 1960SW66
`--*O. oxfordiense Hess 1960SW66
Ophiurella Agassiz 1836 (n. d.)SW66
|--*O. speciosa (Münster in Goldfuss 1831) [=Ophiura speciosa]SW66
|--O. columbaB89
`--O. griesbachiB89
Ophiuriocoma Valette 1929SW66
`--*O. mazenoti Valette 1929SW66
Platyarthra Berry 1938SW66
`--*P. jekerica Berry 1938SW66
Pseudaspidura Kolosváry 1941 (n. d.)SW66
`--*P. hungarica Kolosváry 1941 (n. d.)SW66
Schizospondylus Müller 1950SW66
`--*S. jasmundiana Müller 1950SW66
Transspondylus Müller 1950 (n. d.)SW66
`--*T. bubnoffi Müller 1950 (n. d.)SW66
Xenura Schöndorf 1938 (n. d.)SW66
`--*X. kobuldi Schöndorf 1938 (n. d.)SW66
Stuertzaster Etheridge 1899B01 [=Palaeocoma Salter 1857 non d’Orbigny 1850SW66; incl. Erinaceaster Lehmann 1957SW66]
*Type species of generic name indicated
References
[B02] Blake, D. B. 2002. Compsaster formosus Worthen & Miller (Asteroidea; Echinodermata): a Carboniferous homeomorph of the post-Paleozoic Asteriidae. Paläontologische Zeitschrift 76 (2): 357–367.
[B01] Boczarowski, A. 2001. Isolated sclerites of Devonian non-pelmatozoan echinoderms. Palaeontologia Polonica 59: 1–219.
[B89] Boehm, G. 1889. Ein Beitrag zur Kenntniss fossiler Ophiuren. Berichte der Naturforschenden Gesellschaft zu Freiburg I. B. 4: 232–287, pls 4–5.
[F71] Fletcher, H. O. 1971. Catalogue of type specimens of fossils in the Australian Museum, Sydney. Australian Museum Memoir 13: 1–167.
[SG93] Simms, M. J., A. S. Gale, P. Gilliland, E. P. F. Rose & G. D. Sevastopulo. 1993. Echinodermata. In: Benton, M. J. (ed.) The Fossil Record 2 pp. 491–528. Chapman & Hall: London.
[S97] Smith, A. B. 1997. Echinoderm larvae and phylogeny. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 28: 219–241.
[SW66] Spencer, W. K., & C. W. Wright. 1966. Asterozoans. In: Moore, R. C. (ed.) Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology pt U. Echinodermata 3 vol. 1 pp. U4–U107. The Geological Society of America, Inc., and The University of Kansas Press.
[WR78] Wienberg Rasmussen, H. 1978. Articulata. In: Moore, R. C., & C. Teichert (eds) Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology pt T. Echinodermata 2. Crinoidea vol. 3 pp. T813–T927. The Geological Society of America, Inc.: Boulder (Colorado), and The University of Kansas: Lawrence (Kansas).