Astroboa nuda

Astroboa nuda
Astroboa nuda feeding at night (Red Sea, Egypt)
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Echinodermata
Class: Ophiuroidea
Order: Phrynophiurida
Family: Gorgonocephalidae
Genus: Astroboa
Species:
A. nuda
Binomial name
Astroboa nuda
Lyman, 1874
Synonyms
  • Astrophyton nudum Lyman, 1874
  • Astroraphis nudum Lyman, 1874
  • Astrophyton elegans Koehler, 1905
  • Astroboa nigra Döderlein, 1911

Astroboa nuda, known as the naked basket star, giant basket star, or cream basket star, is a Gorgonocephalid basket star, a type of echinoderm. Its lengthy arms (spanning up to 1.0 metre (3.3 ft)) are highly branched. It inhabits reef slopes exposed to current throughout the Indo-Pacific, ranging from the Red Sea to New Caledonia. During the day, it coils into a tight ball inside a nook in the reef. At night, it spreads its arms to form a basket to feed on plankton.