Fastest digger -- Part 2

Do you remember the post about the "Fastest digger in the West" from November 2013?

Eric and I found two of these wonderful brittle stars — Amphiodia occidentalis — this past weekend.  Their arms are incredibly long!

This time we noticed the wonderful striped patterning on their arms, although one of the individuals was paler than the other (see pictures of both below).

 

 

And once again, the burrowing ability of this species was on display.  The next picture shows one of the brittle stars partially buried in the sand.  You can see how well the light and dark arm coloration matches the variable sand grains.  Click on the picture for a slightly larger version, and look closely for the central disc and the different parts of the arms disappearing below the surface:

 

P.S.  If you didn't see the earlier post about this species, it's worth watching the video clip!