Ophiura
A cosmopolitan genus of echinoderms in the family Ophiuridae.
Last updated
Ophiura is a genus within the echinoderm family Ophiuridae. Its members are found worldwide. The genus contains both living species and those known only from fossils; the oldest confirmed fossil species, Ophiura achatae, dates from the Early Paleocene.
Scientific classification
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumEchinodermata
- ClassOphiuroidea
- OrderOphiurida
- FamilyOphiuridae
- GenusOphiura
Named by Lamarck, 1801
Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Ophiura (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Quick Facts
- Family
- Ophiuridae
- Distribution
- cosmopolitan
- Earliest definitive fossil
- Early Paleocene
- Earliest definitive fossil species
- Ophiura achatae
Facts from the source article.
Background
Ophiura is a genus within the family Ophiuridae, comprising both living and fossil species. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution, meaning its members are found worldwide.
The fossil record of Ophiura is well documented, with definitive fossil species known from the Early Paleocene onward, the earliest being Ophiura achatae described by Rasmussen in 1972. Other definitive fossil species include Ophiura bartonensis, Ophiura bognoriensis, Ophiura costata, Ophiura furiae, Ophiura hendleri, Ophiura marylandica, Ophiura paucilepis, Ophiura pohangensis, ?Ophiura sternbergica, and Ophiura wetherelli. These species span various geological periods, with authors such as Rasmussen, Blake & Aronson, Berry, Stöhr, Jagt & Klompmaker, Ishida et al., Kutscher, and Forbes contributing to their descriptions.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Ophiura (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Word definitions: the Codexery glossary, each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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