Amphipholis

Amphipholis is a large genus of brittle stars (Ophiuroidea) found in oceans worldwide from tropics to Arctic and Antarctic regions. Some species have been used to study echinoderm development (Amphipholis kochii[1]) and bioluminescence (the Dwarf brittle star, Amphipholis squamata[2][3]).

Amphipholis
Amphipholis squamata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Echinodermata
Class:
Ophiuroidea
Order:
Ophiurida
Family:
Amphiuridae
Genus:
Amphipholis

Thomas, 1966
Species

See text.

Systematics

Amphipholis is a large genus with potentially many cryptic species.[4] The high variability may be due to common parthenogenetic reproduction. The type species of the genus is Amphipholis januarii Ljungman, 1866(=Amphipholis gracillima (Stimpson, 1852)).

Species include:[5]

  • Amphipholis abdita
  • Amphipholis andreae
  • Amphipholis bananensis
  • Amphipholis clypeata
  • Amphipholis elevata
  • Amphipholis erecta
  • Amphipholis geminata
  • Amphipholis goesi
  • Amphipholis gracillima
  • Amphipholis granulata
  • Amphipholis kochii
  • Amphipholis laevidisca
  • Amphipholis limbata
  • Amphipholis linopneusti
  • Amphipholis litoralis
  • Amphipholis loripes
  • Amphipholis microdiscus
  • Amphipholis misera
  • Amphipholis murmanica
  • Amphipholis nudipora
  • Amphipholis pentacantha
  • Amphipholis platydisca
  • Amphipholis procidens
  • Amphipholis pugetana
  • Amphipholis puntarenae
  • Amphipholis sigillata
  • Amphipholis similis
  • Amphipholis sobrina
  • Amphipholis squamata
  • Amphipholis strata
  • Amphipholis tetracantha
  • Amphipholis torelli
  • Amphipholis vitax

References
  1. Yamashita,M.,Embryonic Development of the Brittle-Star Amphipholis kochii in Laboratory Culture, Biol. Bull. 169: 131-142(Aug., 1985)
  2. P.Brehm, J.G. Morin. Localization and Characterization of Luminescent Cells in Ophiopsila californica and Amphipholis squamata (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea) Biological Bulletin, Vol. 152, No. 1 (Feb., 1977)
  3. Dewael Y, Mallefet J., Luminescence in ophiuroids (Echinodermata) does not share a common nervous control in all species, J Exp Biol. 2002 Mar;205
  4. R.Sponer and M.Ray, Phylogeographic analysis of the brooding brittle star Amphipholis squamata (Echinodermata) along the coast of New Zealand reveals high cryptic genetic variation and cryptic dispersal potential.Evolution, Volume 56, Issue 10 (October 2002)
  5. MarineSpecies.org - Amphipholis Thomas, 1966
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