Wednesday, November 3, 2021

Spotted and striped

Just a quick photo of some nice Long-armed Brittle Stars (Amphiodia occidentalis) that Eric discovered in the intertidal zone in San Diego today:

 
 
The lowest individual is upside down, but check out the interesting color patterns, especially the spotting on the central disc between the arms.  [You can click on the image for a larger version.] 
 
There's an older NHBH about this species from 2013, so if you'd like to see a video of this species in action, see the post called "Fastest digger in the West".

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3 comments:

  1. John W. WallNovember 4, 2021 at 8:00 AM

    My first thought was you had a handful of tiny snakes. Then I realized it was jewelry. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. NHBHNovember 4, 2021 at 8:48 AM

    Hi, John!

    Yes! And the class Ophiuroidea (brittle stars and basket stars) refers to the serpent-like appearance of brittle stars. "Ophi" means snake or serpent in Greek.

    :) Jackie

    ReplyDelete
  3. Alice ChanNovember 4, 2021 at 11:14 AM

    So beautiful!

    ReplyDelete