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Ophiopsammus maculata

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ophiopsammus maculata
The central disk of a seastar with black legs
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Echinodermata
Class: Ophiuroidea
Order: Ophiacanthida
Family: Ophiodermatidae
Genus: Ophiopsammus
Species:
O. maculata
Binomial name
Ophiopsammus maculata
Verrill, 1869

Ophiopsammus maculata is a species of brittle star (related to starfish) in the family Ophiodermatidae. The species is a small five-limbed seastar with a round central disk and long, black or red limbs. Its range is New Zealand where it inhabits littoral zones in coastal waters.[1][2][3]

Etymology

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Maculata comes from the Latin for 'spotted'. The genus name comes from the Greek ὄφις, for 'snake', and ψάμμος, for 'sand'. Presumably, the name is meant to refer to the long arms and the habitat of the brittle star.

References

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  1. ^ "Ophiopsammus maculata". iNaturalist. Retrieved 2024-11-12.
  2. ^ "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Ophiopsammus maculata (Verrill, 1869)". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 2024-11-12.
  3. ^ Verrill, Addison Emery (1869-01-01). "On New and imperfectly known Echinoderms and Corals". Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History.