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 | |
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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.