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Robust Ophiuran
Echinoderm
Robust Ophiuran
Ophiura robusta (Ayres, 1852)
WoRMS AphialID
124933
Sample IDs
HMSC174_03275 https://bench.boldsystems.org/index.php/MAS_DataRetrieval_OpenSpecimen?selectedrecordid=ATCEC058-25; HMSC174_03305 https://bench.boldsystems.org/index.php/MAS_DataRetrieval_OpenSpecimen?selectedrecordid=ATCEC059-25
Collected
The Wolves NB, scallop drag of cobble and scallop shells, 35 m depth.
Distinguishing Features
• Aboral: disc covered in scales, the radial shields are small, platelike and do not connect.
• Oral: 3-4 pairs of oral papillae, and oral shields that are wider than long.
• Arms: 2 rows of small spines bordering the points of attachment of the arms to the disc, the arm spines are flattened with 2-3 per joint on the outer part of the arm and the middle spine on the distal arm segments is hook-shaped.
• Size: disc to 10mm and arm radius to 35 mm.
Habitat
Various substrates, 6-450 m depth.
Geographic Range
Circumpolar distribution in the northern hemisphere.
Fun Fact
This brittlestar scavenges and hunts for food by using its arms to sweep and dig food out of the sediment. The hooked spines on the distal arm segments help trap the food.
Barcode Distribution
BIN match Nunavut, Northwest Territories, Russia, Norway and Churchill.
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