Ophiuroidea |
Ophiacanthida |
Ophiacanthidae
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Benthic; depth range 0 - 1097 m (Ref. 89085). Polar
Southern Pacific, Southwest Atlantic and Antarctic. Temperate to polar.
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
It is found on rocks, shells and kelp at depths of 0 to 1097 m (Ref. 87801).
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.
Guille, A. 1982 A new genus and species of ophiacanthid brittlestar (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea) from the Kerguelen Islands, with new taxonomic, biogeographic and quantitative data on the echinoderm fauna. Australian Museum Memoir 16:67-87. (Ref. 87413)
IUCN Red List Status
(Ref. 130435: Version 2025-1)
CITES status (Ref. 108899)
Not Evaluated
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
| FishSource |
Tools
More information
Trophic EcologyFood items (preys)
Diet composition
Food consumption
Predators
Life cycleReproductionMaturityFecunditySpawningEggsEgg developmentLarvae PhysiologyOxygen consumption
Human RelatedStamps, coins, misc.
Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature
(Ref.
115969): 0.2 - 7.6, mean 1.6 (based on 511 cells).
