Ophiothrix fragilis

Andy Horton These are better pictures of what I think is Ophiothrix fragilis.

Sabine Stöhr Indeed, very nice images. This is O. fragilis.

Andy Horton I have never caught a Brittlestar that was not tiny before of the shore in Sussex so I have not looked up which one it is yet.

Andy Horton Does anybody know their Brittlestars please? I don't because until now I never found one intertidally (Sussex) that was big enough for ID.

Becky Hitchin I'd suggest Ophiothrix fragilis

Andy Horton Underneath the arms appear banded. Do you use the term arms or legs for brittlestars?

Becky Hitchin Either, I think!

Vicki Howe Once they reach a decent size they aren't too difficult to key out. Have you a Hayward and Ryland as their keys make a reasonable start?

Andy Horton Vicki Howe: I am going to need to look under a magnifying lens or take better photographs. Not today.

Vicki Howe Hmmm not the easiest for field ID. Macro images of top and underside of disc and first few segments of arms!

Andy Horton Enlarging the pictures makes them no clearer. New pictures required. Not before the weekend.

Andy Horton Does anybody know their Brittlestars please? I don't because until now I never found one intertidally (Sussex) that was big enough for ID.

Christopher L. Mah Looks like Ophiothrix. I'd need to check on which species lives in your area. But maybe O. fragilis? http://www.marlin.ac.uk/speciesfullreview.php?speciesID=3976

Sabine Stöhr At first I thought Ophiocomina nigra, because it is so dark. But I think I see large radial shields and the ventral side is banded. So I think Chris is right and this is Ophiothrix fragilis. They can occur in huge aggregations and curiously the newly metamorphosed postlarvae seek out these aggregations and settle on the adults. This is not brooding, but some kind of aggregating behaviour where juveniles find protection among the spines of adults that are not (necessarily) their parents.

Andy Horton Brittlestar Revisited.

Anna Morell Cor! :)

Andy Rapson Could it possibly be Ophiopholis aculeata?

George Brown Think it's Ophiothrix fragilis. O. aculeata has more plates on the disc and down along the top face of the legs.

Paul Semmens Great pic!

Holly Latham Confirmation of the pale brittlestar... Ophiocomina nigra?

Might just be an albinos Ophiothrix fragilis

Holly Latham Hmmm... thoughts were - spines to short relative to arm width and disc is smooth. We have found Ophiocomina nigra (including in this bed)

Could be an albino nigra, certainly a fact that both species coexist in Strangford. Where there any typical black versions in the same bed

Holly Latham Yes, there was quite a mix with black and dark brown morphs...

You are probably right then given the spine diagnostic. We take these beds for granted but in world terms NE Atlantic brittle star beds are quite a unique/rare habitat

Colin Munro Spines do look very neat and even for O fragilis, much more like O nigra. Very nice.

Claire Goodwin Not sure why it's not showing up here but I think this is Ophiopholis aculeata (see album comments).

Bernard Picton Ophiopholis aculeata is a species which seems to have dramatically declined in Northern Ireland since the 1980 Northern Ireland Sublittoral Survey. It might be a very good species to monitor as a climate change indicator.

George Brown Ophiopholis aculeata is fairly common in Loch Duich but rarely caught out in the open the way Holly has photographed it.

Bernard Picton They used to be common in the open in some parts of Northern Ireland, especially in the Modiolus modiolus (Horse mussel) beds in Strangford Lough. We just don't know how much climate change has affected that habitat as it was simultaneously trashed by the Queen Scallop fishery...

Holly Latham Thank you... will now be going to take a closer look at the original image! :)