How is the size of a brittle star measured?
Brittle stars are measured by the diameter of the central disc, and the length of their arms. Brittle star discs range in size from 0.1 to 3 inches; their arm length is a function of their disc size, typically between two to three times the diameter although some have lengths up to 20 or more times.
How many jaws do brittle stars have?
Brittle star mouths contain not one … not two … but FIVE jaws! Brittle stars live in a variety of habitats around the world. There are 73 species in the Arctic alone! There, they live at various depths, with some species occurring deeper than 3,500 meters. In the Alaskan Arctic, you can find most species on shallower ocean shelf waters.
How many species of brittle stars are there in the universe?
The Ophiuroidea contain two large clades, Ophiurida (brittle stars) and Euryalida (basket stars). Over 2,000 species of brittle stars live today. More than 1200 of these species are found in deep waters, greater than 200 m deep.
What is the lifespan of a brittle star?
Brittle stars reach sexual maturity at about 2 years of age and become full grown by 3 or 4 years of age; their lifespans are about 5 years. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) does not list any brittle star. The WoRMS Catalog of Life includes a total of over 2,000 species but does not identify any endangered species.
What do brittle stars eat?
Brittle stars are scavengers that eat algae, plants, fish feces and other detritus as well as detritus and small oceanic organisms such as plankton. They are cleaners in the aquarium world.
How fast do brittle stars grow?
Most Brittle stars have five long slender, whip-like arms which can 60 centimetres in length on the largest species although most are under 2.5 cm in diameter. They usually become sexually mature at around two years, become fully grown in 3 to 4 years, and live up to five years.
How big do mini brittle stars get?
Reef safe, will not bulldoze. Size of individual specimens ranges from approx. 1/4 to 1/2 inch; includes adults, sub-adults and juveniles.
Can you touch a brittle starfish?
Brittlestars are related to starfish and have a rounded disc-like body with 5 long, thin flexible arms. They really do live up to their name and will shed parts of their arms if they are disturbed or feel threatened. So look but don't touch!
How long do brittle starfish live?
five yearsBrittle stars generally sexually mature in two to three years, become full grown in three to four years, and live up to five years.
Can a brittle starfish bite?
Yes they can sting you or even a fish, but as long as they don't get really large, they are generally considered good cleaners to have.
Do brittle star fish eat fish?
Green brittle stars are predators, and they'll hunt down and eat the fish in your tank. They emerge during the crepuscular period (dusk and dawn) to start searching for a meal. And they can easily grow up to 14 inches (35.6cm), putting plenty of your fish and invertebrates at risk.
Are brittle stars good for reef tanks?
Serpent and Brittle Sea Stars are popular additions to reef aquariums that contain live sand as they constantly stir the bed and provide oxygen to beneficial bacteria.
Do starfish come out at night?
Starfish are typically nocturnal creatures, moving at night to feed. They also are quite content to hang around an aquarium without moving, which no doubt can cause panic.
What are brittle stars good for?
Serpent (Brittle) stars play a vital role in maintaining the hygiene of saltwater aquariums since they are active detritivores; spending a great deal of their time picking off detritus and food particles at the bottom of the tank.
Why are brittle stars useful?
Brittle stars play an important role in the Arctic food web. First, they are known to be seafloor ecosystem engineers. They reshape the seafloor sediment surface and influence the distribution of other seafloor species. They also provide nutrition to fish, sea stars and crab predators.
Are brittle stars endangered?
Not extinctBrittle stars / Extinction status
How long does it take for a brittle star to regrow an arm?
3-6 monthsAdvanced regenerative phase The small regenerate that emerges from the early regenerative phase will morph into a miniature starfish arm come 3-6 months post amputation.
What is the predator of a brittle star?
Stars come out at night: Brittle stars are plentiful but seldom seen. They have many predators, so brittle stars usually only come out at night. Creatures that snack on brittle stars include fish, crabs, hermit crabs, mantis shrimp and even sea stars and other brittle stars.
Are brittle stars endangered?
Not extinctBrittle stars / Extinction status
How does a brittle star reproduce?
Brittle stars can reproduce asexually in two ways. When one or more arms and a portion of the central body break off, both pieces of the brittle star will grow new bodies and arms to form two animals. Brittle star juveniles can also reproduce during their settling stage.
What is a brittle starfish?
The Brittle Starfish is one of those reef invertebrates that is often hidden away during the day. The brittle stars come out at night and scavenge all over the bottom of the tank and on the live rock looking for bits and pieces of things to eat. The brittle stars for the most part are rather good tank mates with fish, corals and other inverts.
Why are sea stars called brittle stars?
They are called "brittle stars" because there arms are easily broken off as some sort of defensive mechanism. Sea stars in general should be acclimated slowly to your well established tank.
How to acclimate sea stars to a new tank?
Sea stars in general should be acclimated slowly to your well established tank. They won't tolerate extreme differences in salinity and pH. Don't add them to new tanks since they can be intolerant of changing or fluctuating water parameters. Do a slow drip acclimation over an hour or longer so they can adjust to your tank's water conditions. Once they've adjusted you should find them to be relatively hardy provided that you keep you water parameters at optimal levels. They don't ship all that well though with many perishing in shipment.
Is it difficult to tell the gender of a brittle star?
Gender : It's very difficult, if possible, to determine external differences between male and female brittle stars.
Can brittle stars be used in a reef tank?
They should react to it. Brittle Stars can be considered reef tank safe since they will leave corals, fish and other reef invertebrates alone. If playback doesn't begin shortly, try restarting your device. Videos you watch may be added to the TV's watch history and influence TV recommendations.
How big are brittle star discs?
Brittle star discs range in size from 0.1 to 3 inches; their arm length is a function of their disc size, typically between two to three times the diameter although some have lengths up to 20 or more times.
What is brittle star?
Brittle stars are an echinoderm with whip-like arms. Jennifer Kennedy, M.S., is an environmental educator specializing in marine life. She serves as the executive director of the Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation. Brittle stars ( Ophiurida) are echinoderms, the same family that includes sea stars (commonly called starfish), sea urchins, ...
Why do brittle stars drop their arms?
Brittle stars can drop an arm when being attacked by a predator. This process is known as autotomy or self-amputation, and when the star is threatened, the nerve system tells the mutable collagenous tissue near the base of the arm to disintegrate.
How do brittle stars work?
They have tube feet on their underside, like sea stars, but the feet do not have suction cups at the end and are not used for locomotion—they are used for feeding and to help the brittle star sense its environment. Like sea stars, brittle stars have a vascular system that uses water to control locomotion, respiration, and food and waste transportation, and their tube feet are filled with water. A madreporite, a trap door on the brittle star's ventral surface (underside), controls the movement of water in and out of the star's body. Within the central disk lie the brittle star's organs. Although brittle stars don't have brains or eyes, they do have a large stomach, genitals, muscles, and a mouth surrounded by five jaws.
What is the function of a brittle star?
Like sea stars, brittle stars have a vascular system that uses water to control locomotion, respiration, and food and waste transportation, and their tube feet are filled with water. A madreporite, a trap door on the brittle star's ventral surface (underside), controls the movement of water in and out of the star's body.
How long does it take for a star to mature?
Fission occurs when the star splits its central disk in half, which then grows into two brittle stars. Brittle stars reach sexual maturity at about 2 years of age and become full grown by 3 or 4 years of age; their lifespans are about 5 years.
Where is the mouth of a brittle star?
Then, the tube feet sweep the food to the brittle star's mouth, located on their underside. The mouth has five jaws around it, and crunched up food particles are transported from the mouth to the esophagus and then to the stomach, which takes up much of the brittle star's central disk.
About
Upon first glance, brittle stars may look like starfish but don’t be fooled! Although brittle stars and starfish are closely related, they are completely different species.
Status and Conservation
Brittle stars live in a variety of habitats around the world. There are 73 species in the Arctic alone! There, they live at various depths, with some species occurring deeper than 3,500 meters. In the Alaskan Arctic, you can find most species on shallower ocean shelf waters.
gabbagabbawill Pajama Cardinal
I have some "mini" brittle stars that are reaching at least 3" diameter, or maybe more...
gabbagabbawill Pajama Cardinal
Yep, I've had these for a long time... but some of them are starting to get larger than I expected... they seemed to have replaced a majority of the bristleworm populations as there seem to be a lot fewer bristleworms the more brittle stars there are..
gabbagabbawill Pajama Cardinal
yeah i dont much about them,, i know they have big brittle stars, or the ones like the previous person said..but i would mine have been in my tank about 9-10 months and they have stayed around the same size,,if they get big than just sell them..
gabbagabbawill Pajama Cardinal
When I nuked some of my rock, I was amazed at the size of some of them. You never see them unless they come out of the rock work. I would say some were around 2 inches in diameter.
CODEE111 Peppermint Shrimp
I bought a Bristle Star years ago, put him in the tank, and his legs fell off. Poor thing looked so sad sitting on the sandbed with no legs. The legs that fell off were still moving.....so I scooped them out....including the body and disposed of them.
Description
Species
- The World Ophiuroidea Database lists over 2,000 species of brittle stars accepted in the Class Ophiuridea, the taxonomic class which contains brittle stars, as well as basket stars and snake stars (Kingdom: Animalia, Phylum: Echinodermata, Class: Ophiuroidea, Order: Ophiurida). Ophiuroidea is the largest class among extant Echinodermata. Traditionally, brittle stars are in a …
Habitat and Range
- Brittle stars occur in all the world's oceans from the deep sea to intertidal zones, and including salt and brackish polar areas, temperate, and tropical waters. The region with the highest species richness of brittle stars is the Indo-Pacific region with 825 species at all depths. The Arctic has the lowest number of species: 73. In some areas, the...
Diet
- Brittle stars feed on detritus and small oceanic organisms such as plankton, small mollusks, and even fish. Some brittle stars will raise themselves on their arms, and when fish get close enough, they wrap them in a spiral and eat them. Brittle stars may also feed by lifting up their arms to trap tiny particles and algae ("marine snow") using the mucous strands on their tube feet. Then, the t…
Behavior
- Brittle stars can drop an arm when being attacked by a predator. This process is known as autotomy or self-amputation, and when the star is threatened, the nerve system tells the mutable collagenous tissue near the base of the arm to disintegrate. The wound heals, and then the arm regrows, a process which can take weeks to months, depending upon the species. Brittle stars d…
Reproduction
- There are male and female brittle stars, although it is not obvious which sex a brittle star is without looking at its genitals, which are located inside its central disk. Some brittle stars reproduce sexually, by releasing eggs and sperm into the water. This results in a free-swimming larva called an ophiopluteus, which eventually settles to the bottom and forms a brittl…
Conservation Status
- The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) does not list any brittle star. The WoRMS Catalog of Life includes a total of over 2,000 species but does not identify any endangered species. Perceived threats include pollution and habitat loss.
Sources
- Clark, M. S., and T. Souster. "Slow Arm Regeneration in the Antarctic Brittle Star Ophiura Crassa (Echinodermata, Ophiuroidea)." Aquatic Biology16.2 (2012): 105-13. Print.
- Coulombe, Deborah. "The Seaside Naturalist: A Guide to Study at the Seashore." New York: Simon & Schuster, 1990.
- Denny, Mark W. and Steven D. Gaines (eds). "Encyclopedia of Tidepools and Rocky Shores." U…
- Clark, M. S., and T. Souster. "Slow Arm Regeneration in the Antarctic Brittle Star Ophiura Crassa (Echinodermata, Ophiuroidea)." Aquatic Biology16.2 (2012): 105-13. Print.
- Coulombe, Deborah. "The Seaside Naturalist: A Guide to Study at the Seashore." New York: Simon & Schuster, 1990.
- Denny, Mark W. and Steven D. Gaines (eds). "Encyclopedia of Tidepools and Rocky Shores." University of California Press, 2007.
- Mah, Chris. "Brittle Star Domination! When Ophiuroids Carpet the Murky Deep!" The Echinoblog, September 24, 2013.
