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Common brittlestar
Ophiothrix fragilis
Phylum
Echinodermata
'Spiny skinned' animals e.g. starfish, brittlestars, sea urchins & sea cucumbers
Class
Ophiuroidea
Brittlestars and basket stars
Recorded distribution in Britain and Ireland
All British and Irish coasts, except for the east coast of Scotland, around the Humber Estuary and north East Anglia and south Kent coast.
Habitat information
Found from the lower shore to circalittoral offshore habitats on hard substrata including bedrock, boulders and on coarse sediment. Most abundant on tideswept rock and on mixed coarse sediments. In the intertidal the species is found in crevices and under boulders.
Description
A large brittlestar whose disk may reach up to 2 cm in diameter. The five arms are long (about five times the disk diameter) and spiny. The upper disk surface has a 5-rayed pattern of spines. This species is very varied in colour, commonly brown or grey but ranging through purple, red, orange, yellow, and white. Colouration may be plain or banded (particularly on the arms). The arms are fragile and often broken. |
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