Ophiocomidae

Ophiocomidae
Ophiocoma aethiops
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Echinodermata
Class: Ophiuroidea
Order: Ophiacanthida
Superfamily: Ophiocomoidea
Family: Ophiocomidae
Ljungman, 1867
Type genus
Ophiocoma
L. Agassiz, 1836
Genera
4, see text
Synonyms
Ophiocominae

Ophiocomidae is a family of brittle stars of the order Ophiacanthida.

Taxonomy

Ophiocomidae was previously placed (along with Ophionereididae) in the superfamily Ophiocomidea and infraorder Gnathophiurina or suborder Gnathophiurina in different classifications. In a major overhaul of taxonomic classification of Ophiuroidea in 2017 per O'Hara et al., it is now an placed in the suborder Ophiacanthina in order Ophiacanthida. It is the only family in the superfamily of Ophiocomoidea.

The phylogenetic tree per O'Hara et al. (2017) is as follows.

Ophiacanthida

The following four genera are included in the family according to the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS):

References

  1. ↑ Smith, A.B.; Paterson, G.L.J., Ophiuroid phylogeny and higher taxonomy: morphological, molecular and palaeontological perspectives. Zool. J. Linn. Soc. 114 (1995)
  2. ↑ "Ophiocomidae". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
  3. ↑ O'Hara, Timothy D.; Stöhr, Sabine; Hugall, Andrew F.; Thuy, Ben; Martynov, Alexander (2018). "Morphological diagnoses of higher taxa in Ophiuroidea (Echinodermata) in support of a new classification". European Journal of Taxonomy (416). doi:10.5852/ejt.2018.416.
  4. ↑ Ophiocomidae World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2026-11-04.