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 tooth papillae on the apex but not on the sides. There are no mouth papillae. Inside the mouth edge there is a second pair of tube feet. They show large radial shields. The dorsal surface of the disc is covered with spines and thorny towers.
Systematics Ophiotrichidae contains the following genera:MarineSpecies.org - Ophiotrichidae Ljungman, 1867 Asteria (nomen dubium) Gymnolophus Brock, 1888 Lissophiothrix H.L. Clark, 1938 Macrophiothrix H.L. Clark, 1938 Ophioaethiops Brock, 1888 Ophiocampsis Duncan, 1887 Ophiocnemis Müller & Troschel, 1842 Ophiogymna Ljungman, 1866 Ophiolophus Marktanner-Turneretscher, 1887 Ophiomaza Lyman, 1871 Ophiophthirius Döderlein, 1898 Ophiopsammium Lyman, 1874 Ophiopteron Ludwig, 1888 Ophiothela Verrill, 1867 Ophiothrichoides Delage & Hérouard, 1903 Ophiothrix Müller & Troschel, 1840 Ophiotrichoides Ludwig, 1882
References
Hansson, H.G. (2001). Echinodermata, in: Costello, M.J. et al. (Ed.) (2001). European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Collection Patrimoines Naturels, 50: pp. 336–351 Stöhr, S.; Hansson, H. (2009). Ophiotrichidae. In: Stöhr, S., O’Hara, T. (Eds) (2009). World Ophiuroidea database. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at on 2010-06-16 P.J. Hayward and J.S. Ryland (ed.), Handbook of the Marine Fauna of North-West Europe, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1996,