Ophiuroidea |
Ophiurida |
Ophiuridae
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Benthic; brackish; depth range 2 - 850 m (Ref. 85345). Temperate; 74°N - 35°N, 33°W - 37°E
Northeast Atlantic and the Mediterranean: Europe. Temperate and subtropical.
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Inhabits estuarine and inshore areas (Ref. 96352). Found in large numbers along the coastal zone in the North Sea off Belgium. Inhabits fine to coarse-grained sediments with low to medium mud content (maximum of 40%). Possess agile and strong arms (Ref. 7882). A microvore-carnivore-scavenger that feeds on organic detritus and animal matter (Ref. 96352).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Members of the class Ophiuroidea are mostly gonochoric, others are protandric. Fertilization is external. Brooding is common, bursae is used as brood chambers where the embryos develop into juveniles and later crawl out from the bursal slits. Life cycle: Embryos hatch into free-swimming planktotrophic larvae and later metamorphose into tiny brittle stars which sink down the bottom where they grow into adult form.
Harms, J. 1993. (Ref. 2711)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)
CITES status (Ref. 108899)
Not Evaluated
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Human uses
| FishSource |
Tools
More information
Age/SizeGrowthLength-weightLength-lengthMorphologyLarvaeAbundance
Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature
(Ref.
115969): 6.4 - 11.3, mean 7.9 (based on 319 cells).
Price category
Unknown.
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