Douglas Mason, USA
Info
Ophiopteris papillosa (Lyman, 1875)
Brittle stars have long slender arms with which they walk. They can move quite rapidly after having been exposed. As their name suggests, they are rather brittle, easily breaking an arm or two. They do so voluntarily when threatened. The severed arm wriggles to call attention away from the star, fleeing for its safety. Lost arms can be regrown completely.
The Flat-spined brittle star Ophiopteris papillosa have flat and blunt arm spine. The colour is usually deep chocolate-brown with bands on the arms. The disk is in diameter to 45 mm, arm length 3-4.5 times disk diameter.
This brittle star can be found under rocks and in algal holdfasts, sometimes associated with the purple urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus.
Synonymised names:
Ophiocoma papillosa Lyman, 1875
Brittle stars have long slender arms with which they walk. They can move quite rapidly after having been exposed. As their name suggests, they are rather brittle, easily breaking an arm or two. They do so voluntarily when threatened. The severed arm wriggles to call attention away from the star, fleeing for its safety. Lost arms can be regrown completely.
The Flat-spined brittle star Ophiopteris papillosa have flat and blunt arm spine. The colour is usually deep chocolate-brown with bands on the arms. The disk is in diameter to 45 mm, arm length 3-4.5 times disk diameter.
This brittle star can be found under rocks and in algal holdfasts, sometimes associated with the purple urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus.
Synonymised names:
Ophiocoma papillosa Lyman, 1875
