Common  Name: Green Brittle Star
                        Scientific Name: Ophiarachna incrassata

Kingdom: N/A
Phylum: Echinodermata
                  -Among the most colorful, and one of the oldest groups over 600 million years old. There is about 7,000 extant species.
Class: Ophiuroidea
Order:N/A
Family: Ophiodermatidae

 Looks/Characteristics:  The Green Brittle Star is characterized by radial symmetry with a central disk where there are five long thin, easily breakable arms. The mouth of this organism is found on the underside of the body, and has five teeth.

Live: Found in the Indo-Pacific, from Sri Lanka to Hawaii hiding under rocks.

Habitat: This organism inhabits reefs and is normally found in crevices and under rocks.

Diet: The Green Brittle Stars are not very picky eaters. They are carnicious and eat pieces of meaty substances, small crustaceans and waste products (detritus). It eats by using its arms to move the larger pieces of food to its mouth on the underside of the central disk.

Size/Weight: Can become up to 22 inches from arm-tip to arm-tip.

Hunted: They are hunted because they make good aquarium organisms. They not require much maintainance and they are great tank cleaners because they eat the detrius.

Reproductive Cycle:Dioecious, sexes are seperate, and there is no sexual dimorphism, no two types of sexes. They young are carried in pouches and are released before they are fully developed as juveniles.

Breeding/Mating Season: Mating season is at the end of summer, and majority of species release their eggs into the plankton

Parental Involvement: Once the species release their eggs there is no parental involvement.

How they protect themselves: The Brittle Stars are protected by calcite plates, they also can regenerate their arms should it be injured, this process takes about a month.

Interesting Facts:
  • Among most active of the echinoderms
  • Able to move around easily
  • If an arm is injured, a new one grows in its place
  • Longer arms that Sea Stars
  • Nocturnal


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