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

Observations recorded913,691

via GBIF

Wikidata facts

Image: Haeckel Ophiodea.jpg

Show 5 more facts

Commons category: Ophiuroidea
taxon name: Ophiuroidea
Commons gallery: Brittle Star
taxon common name: kačjerepi
start time: 488000000-

Sources (4)

via Wikidata · CC0

~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.