Serpent's table brittlestar (Ophiura albida)

Classification (WoRMS)

Full classification as recorded by WoRMS: Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Echinodermata · Class: Ophiuroidea · Order: Ophiurida · Family: Ophiuridae · Genus: Ophiura.

Accepted name: Ophiura albida · Authority: Forbes, 1839 · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 124913.

Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Ophioglypha albida (Forbes, 1839); Ophiura albida var. tuberculosa Mortensen, 1933.

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=124913 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Biology and life history (SeaLifeBase)

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

Depth range: 2–850 m · Habitat zone: benthic.

SeaLifeBase notes: 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).

Source: SeaLifeBase species summary (SpecCode 49615) — https://www.sealifebase.se/summary/Ophiura-albida.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

47,428 georeferenced occurrence records for Ophiura albida are published through GBIF from 28 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 199 distinct locations from a sample of 3,000 records, omitting 131 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: Denmark (14,233); United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (12,522); Netherlands (7,377); Norway (2,859); France (2,780).

The full country table, WoRMS marine regions and the sampling notes are on this species' Distribution page.

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 2277002) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=2277002&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=124913 (CC BY 4.0); Natural Earth 110m basemap — https://www.naturalearthdata.com/ (public domain). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

Ophiura albida has a central disc reaching a diameter of about 1.5 cm and five arms up to 6 cm long. The disc is flattened, and the upper surface is covered in small plates. These are mostly brick red, but the plates at the edge of the disc close to where the arms are attached are white. The arms are slender and fragile, segmented and gradually tapering. The plates on the upper and lower sides have convex edges. Each segment has three short spines which lie flat on the surface, and there are small pores between the plates. This latter fact helps to distinguish this species from the otherwise very similar Ophiura ophiura. The underside of the disc is a pale colour and has a central mouth with five large plates modified as jaws and fringed with teeth.

Ophiura albida is found at depths down to about 200 m, or 850 m according to one authority. Its range extends from Norway to the Mediterranean Sea and the Azores. It occurs on the seabed on soft substrates including coarse sand, fine sand, gravel and muddy sand. It is common round the coasts of the British Isles and has occurred at densities as great as 900 per 1 m2.

Ophiura albida is a predator and scavenger and feeds on such small invertebrates as polychaete worms, crustaceans and bivalve molluscs. In the Baltic Sea it is the favourite food of the starfish Luidia sarsi and is chosen in preference to other brittle stars. In the Irish Sea it is eaten along with the common brittle star (Ophiothrix fragilis) by the fast-moving seven armed starfish (Luidia ciliaris).

Individuals of this species are either male or female. Fertilisation is external, and the larvae are planktonic. It is a fast-growing brittle star and is not thought to live for more than three years.

Source: Wikipedia: Ophiura albida — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophiura_albida (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.