Ophioderma longicauda is a brittle star of up to 15 cm in diameter with a central disc
of 2,5 cm in diameter. The disc surface is smooth, covered on its two sides by tiny spherical grains visible under
magnifying glass. The long smooth arms are cylindrical and tip-tapered. The colour is red to dark brown, the arms
may have clearer bands. It lives on rocky bottoms and can move quickly thanks to the undulatory movements
of its arms.
It is found from surface to 70 m deep in the Mediterranean Sea and in the Atlantic up to the Western Brittany
coasts where it is rather rare.
Phylum Echinodermata, class Stelleroidea, order Ophiurida, family Ophiodermatidae, Ophioderma longicauda (Retzius, 1805).
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Photograph: © Maurice Loir. Published with author's kind permission.
Ophioderma longicauda, Ile de Groix, South-Brittany, West of France. Depth 9 meters.
Text: Anne Bay-Nouailhat © 2007-2008.
Translation: Anne Bay-Nouailhat © 2007-2008.
