Is the common brittle star a Coelomate?
The body outline is similar to that of starfish, in that ophiuroids have five arms joined to a central body disk. However, in ophiuroids, the central body disk is sharply marked off from the arms. The ophiuroid coelom is strongly reduced, particularly in comparison to other echinoderms.
Is a brittle star Decomposer?
Decomposer. A few decomposers of the ocean would be bacteria, fungus, marine worms, sea slugs, sea worms, and brittle stars.
Is a brittle star a vertebrate?
Echinoderms, including sea stars, sea lilies, sea urchins, and brittle stars, are deuterostomes. Evolutionarily, echinoderms and vertebrates belong to the same lineage.
What class is a brittle star in?
class Ophiuroidea
Brittle stars or ophiuroids are echinoderms in the class Ophiuroidea closely related to starfish.
Why are brittle stars called brittle?
Brittle stars are named for the ease with which their arms break off when touched; these animals, known collectively as ophioroids, are also called serpent stars (ophis means snake in Greek) because their long arms resemble serpents.
Do brittle starfish eat fish?
Temperament / Behavior : These brittle stars are scavengers that should feed on detritus, dead organisms, etc. They should leave corals and fish alone. These are known fish eaters.
Do brittle stars have a complete digestive system?
Feeding and diet Like sea stars, brittle stars have their mouth on the underside. They filter sand and mud from the ocean floor, feeding on detritus. Their digestive system is quite simple. They have a stomach but no intestine or anus, so any waste is excreted from the mouth.
Why are brittle stars called brittle stars?
What is the classification of a brittle star?
Ophiuroidea
Brittle stars/Scientific names
Do brittle stars have a complete gut?
Like sea stars, brittle stars have their mouth on the underside. They filter sand and mud from the ocean floor, feeding on detritus. Their digestive system is quite simple. They have a stomach but no intestine or anus, so any waste is excreted from the mouth.
What is the difference between a starfish and a brittle star?
But within the phylum, sea stars and brittle stars are in different classes. Sea stars are in the class Asteroidea, where brittle stars are in Ophiuroidea, which also includes basket stars. Brittle stars, on the other hand, have much thinner arms that appear more “whip-like” than those of sea stars.
What kind of star is a brittle star?
Ophiuroidea are commonly known as brittle stars due to their stiff, brittle consistency. Species within the class Ophiuroidea are star-shaped with a central circular disc that has five long slender arms radiating from it (Sterrer 1986).
What kind of locomotion does a brittle star have?
Locomotion. Brittle stars use their arms for locomotion. Brittle stars move fairly rapidly by wriggling their arms which are highly flexible and enable the animals to make either snake-like or rowing movements. However, they tend to attach themselves to the sea floor or to sponges or cnidarians, such as coral.
Where can you find brittle stars in Bermuda?
Ophiocoma echinata is the blunt-spined brittle star found in Bermuda. This species is found in coral reef habitats and is common on sandy bottoms under rocks in shallow waters (Sterrer 1986). Unlike common sea stars, the central disk of brittle stars contains the entire digestive system, gonads, and all other organ systems (Sterrer 1986).
What kind of habitat does a brittle star live in?
Shallow species live among sponges, stones, or coral, or under the sand or mud, with only their arms protruding. Two of the best-known shallow species are the green brittle star ( Ophioderma brevispina ), found from Massachusetts to Brazil, and the common European brittle star ( Ophiothrix fragilis ).
Ophiuroidea are commonly known as brittle stars due to their stiff, brittle consistency. Species within the class Ophiuroidea are star-shaped with a central circular disc that has five long slender arms radiating from it (Sterrer 1986).
Locomotion. Brittle stars use their arms for locomotion. Brittle stars move fairly rapidly by wriggling their arms which are highly flexible and enable the animals to make either snake-like or rowing movements. However, they tend to attach themselves to the sea floor or to sponges or cnidarians, such as coral.
What are the physical characteristics of a coelom?
Body cavity a true coelom. Most possesses a gut with an anus. Body shape highly variable, but with no head. Nervous system includes a circum-oesophageal ring. Has a poorly defined open circulatory system. Possesses a water vascular system, which hydraulically operates the tube feet or feeding tentacles.
Ophiocoma echinata is the blunt-spined brittle star found in Bermuda. This species is found in coral reef habitats and is common on sandy bottoms under rocks in shallow waters (Sterrer 1986). Unlike common sea stars, the central disk of brittle stars contains the entire digestive system, gonads, and all other organ systems (Sterrer 1986).
