Zootaxa 2019 Mar 25;45711:zootaxa.4571.1.5. doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.4571.1.5.

A comprehensive taxonomic list of brittle stars (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea) from submarine caves of the Ryukyu Islands, southwestern Japan, with a description of a rare species, Dougaloplus echinatus (Amphiuridae).

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The ophiuroid species listed were collected by benthic faunal surveys from 2016 to 2018 in submarine caves of the Ryukyu Islands, southwestern Japan. The material includes 20 species from 8 families, Amphiuridae, Ophiocomidae, Ophiodermatidae, Ophiolepididae, Ophioleucidae, Ophiomyxidae, Ophionereididae and Ophiotrichidae. This is the first comprehensive report of submarine cave-dwelling ophiuroids from Japanese waters. Also provided is a redescription of a rare species, Dougaloplus echinatus (Ljungman, 1867), with a detailed description of its ossicle morphology. The species has previously been reported from Brazil, Australia, Eastern Indian Ocean to Southern China, in 11-118 m depth, and this is the first record of D. echinatus from Japanese waters. A brief discussion of the scarcity of submarine cave systems, and the need for their conservation, is provided.

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