76 



A.R.G. PRICE AND F.W.E. ROWE 



propinqua, placed in the subgenus Keystonea by A.M.Clark (1967), 

 whilst Devaney (1974) described O. (Placophiothrix) westwardi 

 which has been considered conspecific with propinqua by Hoggett 

 (1991). Later, in a far-reaching and critical treatment of Macro- 

 phiothrix, Hoggett (1992: PhD thesis) commits both the taxa 

 Placophthiothrix and Keystonea to the synonymy of Macrophio- 

 thrix, transferring the included species of the former two taxa to the 

 latter taxon and to whom this move is herein credited. 



23. Macrophiothrix propinqua (Lyman, 1861) 



See. Clark & Rowe, 1971: 86; 107 (as Ophiothrix (Keystonea) 

 propinqua); Clark, 1980: 537; Hoggett, 1991: 1 130; Hoggett, 1992: 

 204; Rowe & Gates, 1995: 415. 



MATERIAL. 810428D/5 (5), 810501C/3 (1 juvenile), 810501D/1 

 (1 juvenile), 810501E/13 (1), 810501DF/1 (1 juvenile), 810501G/1 

 (1), 810501G/5 (3), 8105011/2 (2), 810502F/3 (1), 810502G/3 (1). 



Collection sites. Ug Tapa Gadja, Ug Seukundo, E Klah, Pula 

 We, Sumatra. 



Habitat and depth. Subtidal rock/coral, coral rubble, coral reef, 

 soft coral; 2-20 m. 



Remarks. This species was first transferred to the genus 

 Macrophiothrix H.L. Clark, 1938 by A.M. Clark (1980) from 

 Ophiothrix (Keystonea) A.M. Clark, 1967. 



24. Macrophiothrix variabilis (Duncan, 1887) 



SEE. Clark, 1968: 308; Clark & Rowe, 1971: 115; Hoggett, 1991: 

 1 138; Hoggett, 1992: 218; Rowe & Gates, 1995: 416. 



Material. 810206A/4 (1). 



Collection sites. Negombo, Sri Lanka. 



Habitat and depth. Coral / rock, 5 m. 



25. Macrophiothrix virgata (Lyman, 1861) 



SEE. Clark & Rowe, 1971: 86; 113 (as Ophiothrix (Placophio- 

 thrix) virgata); Hoggett, 1992: 236. 



Material. 810423D/2 (1). 



Collection sites. Ug Bau, Pula We, Sumatra. 



Habitat and depth. Coral reef; 2-8 m. 



REMARKS. See remarks under Macrophiothrix nereidina. 



26. Ophiogymna pellicula (Duncan, 1 876) 



SEE. Clark & Rowe, 1971: 84; 117; Clark & Courtman Stock, 

 1976; 140 (as O.fulgens); Rowe & Gates, 1995: 417. 



Material. 810504B/2 (1). 



Collection sites. Rubiah, Pula We, Sumatra. 



Habitat and depth. Soft coral; 10 m. 



Remarks. The single specimen has a d.d. = 2.7 mm, a.l. = c. 20 

 mm. The disc is mottled cream and pink, and the arms are banded 

 with wide pink and narrow cream bands. An irregular longitudinal 

 line of cream spots is evident along the dorsal midline of the arms. 

 The disc is covered (except for the radial shields) with minute, 



pointed granules with larger, conical spines interradially towards the 

 edge of the disc. Clark & Courtman Stock (1976) include 

 Placophiothrix phrixa H.L. Clark as a synonym of O. fulgens 

 (Koehler) which in turn is included in the synonymy of O. pellicula 

 by Rowe (in Rowe & Gates, 1995). The species therefore appears to 

 to be distributed from the Gulf of Aden to the Indo-Malay region and 

 the NW coast of Australia in depths of 10-1 16 m. 



27. Ophiopteron elegans Ludwig, 1888 



See. Clark & Rowe, 1971: 84; 1 15; Rowe & Gates, 1995: 419. 

 Material. 810428D/3e (2), 810428D/5 (8). 

 Collection sites. Ug Tapa Gadja, Pula We, Sumatra. 

 Habitat and depth. Coral reef, subtidal rock/coral; 15 m. 



Family OPHIOCOMIDAE 



28. Ophiarthrum pictum Miiller & Troschel, 1842 



See. Clark & Rowe, 1971: 86; 121; Rowe & Gates, 1995: 385. 



Material. 810502H/1 (1). 



Collection sites. E Klah, Pula We, Sumatra. 



Habitat and depth. Subtidal rock, 2m. 



29. Ophiocomella sexradia (Duncan, 1887) 



See. Clark & Rowe, 1971: 86; 118; Devaney, 1974: 162; 

 Cherbonnier & Guille, 1978: 179; Rowe & Gates, 1995: 389. 



Material. 8 1 042D8/3d ( 1 ). 



Collection sites. Ug Tapa Gadja, Pula We, Sumatra. 



Habitat and depth. Coral reef; 15 m. 



Remarks. The single specimen from Pula We measures d.d. = 3 

 mm; a.l. = 10+ mm (broken near tip). With the exception that the 

 uppermost of the 4 arm spines is distinctly longer than the lower 

 ones, the character separating Ophiomastix sexradiata A.H. Clark 

 1952 (known only from its type locality: Bikini Atoll, Marshall Is, 

 SW Pacific) from Ophiocomella sexradia (Duncan)(identified 

 throughout the Indo-West Pacific region and possibly tropicopolitan) 

 in Clark & Rowe's (1971) key, all other skeletal characters of the 

 present specimen accord with those described as fitting O. sexradia 

 (note 65, p. 118) by A.M. Clark. Cherbonnier & Guille (1978), 

 following their study of Malagasy material, concur with the com- 

 ments expressed by A.M. Clark (in Clark & Rowe, 1971) and 

 tentatively consider Ophiomastix sexradiata to be conspecific with 

 Ophiocomella sexradia simultaneously agreeing with A.M. Clark 

 that the status of the genus Ophiocomella as distinct from Ophio- 

 coma remains doubtful. Although the present specimen does nothing 

 to clarify the generic status ofOphiocomella, it does support strongly 

 the view that the two nominal species are conspecific and confirm 

 the synonymy proposed by Cherbonnier & Guille (1978). 



30. Ophiocoma dentata Miiller & Troschel, 1842 



See. Devaney, 1970: 13; Clark & Rowe, 1971: 86; 1 19; Rowe & 

 Gates, 1995: 386. 



Material. 810502H/2b (1). 



