Two new species of the genus Ophiuraster (Ophiurinae, Ophiuroidea, Echinodermata) from French collections and some remarks on the genus

Two new species of the poorly known genus Ophiuraster (Ophiurinae, Ophiuroidea, Echinodermata), O. belyaevi n.sp. from Kerguelen Islands and O. patersoni n.sp. from Bay of Biscay are described on the basis of the collection of the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris. The genus is characterized by a combination of plesiomorphic and apomorphic features. The distribution of these species is shown on a map.