Black brittle star (Ophiocoma echinata)

Classification (WoRMS)

Full classification as recorded by WoRMS: Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Echinodermata · Class: Ophiuroidea · Order: Ophiacanthida · Family: Ophiocomidae · Genus: Ophiocoma.

Accepted name: Ophiocoma echinata · Authority: (Lamarck, 1816) · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 243573.

Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Ophiocoma crassispina (Say, 1825); Ophiura crassispina Say, 1825; Ophiura echinata Lamarck, 1816.

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=243573 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Biology and life history (SeaLifeBase)

Measured values published by SeaLifeBase for Ophiocoma echinata. Only fields the database actually holds for this species are shown; these are database values, not aquarium guidance.

Depth range: 0–24 m · Habitat zone: reef-associated · Fishery importance: commercial.

SeaLifeBase notes: Maximum depth from Ref. 83942. Inhabits shallow areas to depths of 20 m in seagrass, reefs and mangroves, especially coral rubble (Ref. 415, 83942).

Source: SeaLifeBase species summary (SpecCode 49017) — https://www.sealifebase.se/summary/Ophiocoma-echinata.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

935 georeferenced occurrence records for Ophiocoma echinata are published through GBIF from 35 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 122 distinct locations from a sample of 935 records, omitting 36 inland records that carry an institution's coordinates rather than a collection site; it shows where the species has been observed and reported, not a modelled range.

Most records by country or area: Mexico (192); United States of America (138); Colombia (87); Panama (81); Belize (78); Guadeloupe (50); Brazil (38); Bermuda (31); Bahamas (28); Costa Rica (25); Virgin Islands (U.S.) (25); Haiti (24); Saint Martin (French part) (19); Barbados (16); Antigua and Barbuda (12).

Marine regions with a valid WoRMS distribution record: Gulf of Mexico; Belizean Exclusive Economic Zone; Haitian Exclusive Economic Zone; Costa Rican part of the Caribbean Sea; Colombian part of the Caribbean Sea; Guatemala; Puerto Rican Exclusive Economic Zone; Nicaraguan part of the Caribbean Sea; Cuban Exclusive Economic Zone; Honduras; Venezuelan Exclusive Economic Zone; Jamaican Exclusive Economic Zone; Caribbean Sea; Mexico; Dominican Republic Exclusive Economic Zone; Panamanian part of the Caribbean Sea; Roncador Bank; Serrana Bank; Trinidad and Tobago; Mexican Exclusive Economic Zone [Caribbean part]; Isla de Providencia; San Andres; Eastern Caribbean; Guatemalan part of the Caribbean Sea; Venezuelan part of the Caribbean Sea; Honduran part of the Caribbean Sea; Cayo Alburquerque.

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 2275466) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=2275466&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=243573 (CC BY 4.0); Natural Earth 110m basemap — https://www.naturalearthdata.com/ (public domain). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

Ophiocoma echinata is a large brittle star, with a maximum armspan of 25 cm. The slender, tapering arms are densely clad with short spines and are clearly demarcated from the disc. The colour is dark with pale or cream-coloured markings, but the arms never have any red markings.

Ophiocoma echinata is native to the tropical west Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. It is common throughout the Caribbean at depths down to about 30 m. It occurs in seagrass meadows, on reefs and reef flats, hiding under rocks, in cracks and crevices, under coral heads, and inside sponges.

Ophiocoma echinata uses its arms to burrow in the sand and anchor itself in crevices. It holds some of its arms vertically in the passing water current to filter food particles, catching them with the spines and passing them along feeding channels to the mouth. The stomach is entirely within the central disc and is the organ of food storage. Reproduction takes place over a prolonged breeding season with gametes being shed directly into the sea without any synchronisation.

Locomotion involves raising the central disc off the substrate while the tube feet on the arms grip the surface. Despite having no brain and only having a simple, ring-shaped nervous system, O. echinata is able to adopt a coordinated pattern of locomotion in which one arm leads the way and the others act in synchrony to propel it forward. When the brittle star alters its direction of travel, it does not rotate, but instead a different arm becomes the lead arm and the other arms take on the subordinate role. This shows that a radially symmetrical animal can employ fully coordinated, bilaterally symmetrical locomotion.

When attacked by a predator, O. echinata sometimes autotomises (sheds) one or more of its arms. In a back-reef habitat in the Florida Keys, up to 47% of the individuals were found to have missing or damaged arms, and it took about two years for individuals with three missing arms to completely regenerate them. Losing a limb rather than its life is beneficial to the brittle star. Although energy must be diverted to effect the repair and regrowth, the individual should still be able to breed at some time in the future, and the missing arm contributes a renewable resource to the productivity of the reef.

Source: Wikipedia: Ophiocoma echinata — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophiocoma_echinata (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.