Ophiuroidea
Also known as the brittle stars
class of echinoderms
AI overview
Ophiuroidea is a class of marine animals called echinoderms, which are relatives of starfish and sea urchins. These creatures are important parts of ocean ecosystems, where they help break down dead organic material and serve as food for larger animals.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Species
brittle stars
Ophiuroidea
CLASS
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumEchinodermata
- ClassOphiuroidea
Habitatmarine, brackish
via GBIF
~21 min read
Article
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 for locomotion. The ophiuroids generally have five long, slender, whip-like arms which may reach up to 60 cm (24 in) in length on the largest specimens.
The Ophiuroidea contain two large clades, Ophiurida (brittle stars) and Euryalida (basket stars). Over 2,000 species of brittle stars live today. More than 1,200 of these species are found in deep waters, greater than 200 m (656 ft) deep.