Ophiurina

Ophiurina are a suborder of brittle stars containing the majority of living brittle star species.

Ophiurina
Ophiura ophiura
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Echinodermata
Class:	Ophiuroidea
Order:	Ophiurida
Suborder:	Ophiurina Müller & Troschel, 1840
Infraorders
See text

Characteristics

Ophiurina contain a large number of ophiuroids with characteristics ranging from skin just covering the disk, the presence or absence of arm combs, and an infradental papilla occurring with a distinct diastema between it and its flanking oral papillae^[1]

Systematics

There is currently no consensus as to the subdivision of the Ophiurina (traditionally, the infraorders have been treated as suborders). It contains the genera Amphiura, Amphipholis, and Ophiacantha.

The suborder has been divided into the following recent infraorders and families

^[2]

• Ophiacanthidae

Hemieuryalina

• Hemieuryalidae

Chilophiurina

• Ophiuridae

Gnathophiurina

• Amphilepididae
• Amphiuridae
• Ophiothricidae
• Ophiactidae
• Ophionereididae
• Ophiocomidae

Ophiodermatina

• Ophiochitonidae
• Ophiodermatidae
• Ophiolepidina
• Ophiolepididae