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Brittle stars, serpent stars, or ophiuroids (from Latin ophiurus 'brittle star'; from Ancient Greek ὄφις (óphis) 'serpent' and οὐρά (ourá) 'tail'; referring to the serpent-like arms of the brittle star) are echinoderms in the class Ophiuroidea, closely related to starfish. They crawl across the sea floor using their flexible arms ...
This brittle star has a circum-boreal distribution. In the northern Atlantic Ocean it is common around Iceland, Spitzbergen and Norway southwards to the North Sea.On the eastern coast of North America its range extends from Greenland southwards to Long Island, and in the Pacific Ocean, its range stretches from Japan and the Bering Sea southwards to California. [3]
Ophiocoma scolopendrina, as other brittle stars, have long, thin arms emanating from a small, disk-shaped body and are about the size of an outstretched human hand. They belong to the phylum of echinoderms, which includes sea urchins, sea cucumbers, and sea stars. Dorsal disc and dorsal arm plates vary from variegated black to pale brown.
Ophiocomina nigra, commonly known as the black brittle star or black serpent star, is a species of marine invertebrate in the order Ophiurida. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] It occurs in the north-eastern Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea.
The common brittle star, Ophiothrix fragilis, Strangford Lough, Co. Down, Northern Ireland, -22 m, 5 September 2007. The common brittle star is extremely variable in colouration, ranging from violet, purple or red to yellowish or pale grey, often spotted with red. The arms are usually white or grey with pink bands.
Ophiothrix is a large genus of brittle stars (Ophiuroidea) found in oceans worldwide from tropics to Arctic and Antarctic regions. At present a total of 93 Ophiothrix species have been recognized. It is considered as one of the most interesting genera because of the presence of its brilliant colors and associations with coral and sponges as well.
Ophiomastix wendtii, also known by its common name, the red ophiocoma, and formerly as Ophiocoma wendtii, is a species of brittle stars that inhabits coral reefs from Bermuda to Brazil, primarily in the Caribbean sea. These brittle stars have long, thin arms emanating from a small, disk-shaped body, and club-like spines along its arms.
Schayer's Brittle Star is found off the coast of Australia. Areas include New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania. It is the largest and most common brittle star found near Sydney. [citation needed] The species occurs from the inter-tidal zone to 180 metres below sea level.