Gnathophiurina | |
---|---|
Amphipholis squamata | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Echinodermata |
Class: | Ophiuroidea |
Order: | Ophiurida |
Suborder: | Gnathophiurina Matsumoto, 1915 |
Families | |
See text. |
The Gnathophiurina are a group of Ophiuroidea mostly treated as suborder [1] (but at first as an order Gnathophiurida, [2] and sometimes as infraorder of Ophiurina [3] or not used at all).
Brittle stars, serpent stars, or ophiuroids are echinoderms in the class Ophiuroidea closely related to starfish. They crawl across the sea floor using their flexible arms for locomotion. The ophiuroids generally have five long, slender, whip-like arms which may reach up to 60 cm (24 in) in length on the largest specimens. From New Latin ophiurus, from Ancient Greek ὄφις + οὐρά.
The Ophiurida are an order of echinoderms within the class Ophiuroidea. It includes the vast majority of living brittle stars.
Amphiuridae are a large family of brittle stars of the suborder Gnathophiurina. Some species are used to study echinoderm development and bioluminescence.
Amphipholis is a large genus of brittle stars (Ophiuroidea) found in oceans worldwide from tropics to Arctic and Antarctic regions. Some species have been used to study echinoderm development and bioluminescence.
Ophiactidae are a family of brittle stars.
Ophiurina are a suborder of brittle stars containing the majority of living brittle star species.
Ophiuridae are a large family of brittle stars of the suborder Ophiurina.
Ophiotrichidae are a family of ophiurid brittle stars within the infraorder Gnathophiurina.
Ophionereididae are a family of brittle stars.
Ophiocomidae are a family of brittle stars of the suborder Ophiurina.
Ophiolepididae are a family of brittle stars of the suborder Ophiurina. It includes both deep-sea and shallow-water species.
The whiptail stingrays are a family, the Dasyatidae, of rays in the order Myliobatiformes. They are found worldwide in tropical to temperate marine waters, and a number of species have also penetrated into fresh water in Africa, Asia, and Australia. Members of this family have flattened pectoral fin discs that range from oval to diamond-like in shape. Their common name comes from their whip-like tails, which are much longer than the disc and lack dorsal and caudal fins. All whiptail stingrays, except the porcupine ray, have one or more venomous stings near the base of the tail, which is used in defense. They range in size from 0.18 to 2.0 m or more across.
Ophiopsila is a genus of brittle star belonging to the family Ophiocomidae. Many species are bioluminescent.
Amphipholis squamata, common names brooding snake star and dwarf brittle star, is a species complex of brittle stars in the family Amphiuridae.
Astroboa nuda is a type of basket star from Gorgonocephalidae family. Its large arms are highly branched. It inhabits reef slopes exposed to current in diverse places such as the Red Sea and New Caledonia. During the day it coils into a tight ball. At night it spreads arms to form a basket to feed on plankton. They are part of the class Ophiuroidea, which is the largest class of echinoderms. The name Ophiuroidea comes from the roots, ophis, meaning snake and oura, which means tail, referring to the thin, spiraling shape of the basket stars’ arms.
Astroboa is a genus of basket stars in the class Ophiuroidea.
Ophiactis is a genus of brittle stars (Ophiuroidea).
Ophiacanthidae is a family of brittle stars. Axel Vilhelm Ljungman circumscribed this taxon in 1867; he initially named the subfamily Ophiacanthinae within the family Amphiuridae. Gordon L. J. Paterson promoted its rank to family in 1985.
Ophiacanthida is an order of echinoderms belonging to the class Ophiuroidea.