Ophiocoma scolopendrina

Ophiocoma scolopendrina
Ophiocoma scolopendrina at Sharm El Sheik, Red Sea
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Echinodermata
Class: Ophiuroidea
Order: Ophiacanthida
Family: Ophiocomidae
Genus: Ophiocoma
Species:
O. scolopendrina
Binomial name
Ophiocoma scolopendrina
(Lamarck, 1816)
Synonyms
  • Ophiocoma alternans von Martens, 1870
  • Ophiocoma lubrica Koehler, 1898
  • Ophiocoma molaris Lyman, 1862
  • Ophiocoma variabilis Grube, 1857
  • Ophiura scolopendrina Lamarck, 1816

Ophiocoma scolopendrina is a species of brittle star belonging to the family Ophiocomidae. Restricted to life in the intertidal, they live in the Indo-Pacific. They can typically be found within crevices or beneath borders on intertidal reef platforms. Unlike other Ophiocoma brittle stars, they are known for their unique way of surface-film feeding, using their arms to sweep the sea surface and trap food. Regeneration of their arms are a vital component of their physiology, allowing them to efficiently surface-film feed. These stars also have the ability to reproduce throughout the year, and have been known to have symbiotic relationships with other organisms.