Ophiuroidea |
Euryalida |
Gorgonocephalidae
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Benthic; depth range 8 - 1850 m (Ref. 95072). Temperate
Arctic and Eastern Pacific: Alaska, USA and Canada. Temperate to polar.
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm Max length : 76.0 cm WD male/unsexed; (Ref. 865)
It is found on rocks in subtidal areas (Ref. 865).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Members of the class Ophiuroidea are mostly gonochoric, others are protandric. Fertilization is external. Brooding is common, bursae is used as brood chambers where the embryos develop into juveniles and later crawl out from the bursal slits. Life cycle: Embryos hatch into free-swimming planktotrophic larvae and later metamorphose into tiny brittle stars which sink down the bottom where they grow into adult form.
Lambert, P. and W.C. Austin 2007 Brittle stars, sea urchins and feather stars of British Columbia, Southeast Alaska and Puget Sound. Royal British Columbia Museum, Canada, 150p. (Ref. 95072)
IUCN Red List Status
(Ref. 130435: Version 2025-1)
CITES status (Ref. 108899)
Not Evaluated
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Human uses
| FishSource |
Tools
More information
Trophic EcologyFood items (preys)
Diet composition
Food consumption
Predators
Population dynamicsGrowthMax. ages / sizesLength-weight rel.Length-length rel.Length-frequenciesMass conversionAbundance Life cycleReproductionMaturityFecunditySpawningEggsEgg developmentLarvae PhysiologyOxygen consumption
Human RelatedStamps, coins, misc.
Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature
(Ref.
115969): 3.5 - 6, mean 4.2 (based on 63 cells).
Fishing Vulnerability
Moderate to high vulnerability (50 of 100).
Price category
Unknown.
