Ophiuroidea (Ophiuroids)

Brittle stars or ophiuroids are echinoderms in the class Ophiuroidea closely related to starfish. They crawl across the seafloor using their flexible arms for locomotion. The ophiuroids generally have five long slender, whip-like arms which may reach up to 60 centimetres (24 in) in length on the largest specimens. They are also known as serpent stars. Ophiuroidea contains two large clades, Ophiurida (brittle stars) and Euryalida (basket stars). Many of the ophiuroids are rarely encountered in the relatively shallow depths normally visited by humans, but they are a diverse group. There are some 1,500 species of brittle stars living today, and they are largely found in deep waters more than 500 metres (1,650 feet) down.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophiuroidea

Ophiuroidea Gray, 1840				BL148
Ophiuroidea Gray, 1840				BL151
Ophiuroidea Gray, 1840				BL153
Ophiuroidea Gray, 1840				BL154
Ophiuroidea Gray, 1840				BL155
Ophiuroidea Gray, 1840				BL158
Ophiuroidea Gray, 1840				BL159
Ophiuroidea Gray, 1840				BL179
Ophiuroidea Gray, 1840				OZ295
Ophiuroidea Gray, 1840				MN13
Ophiuroidea Gray, 1840				MN14
Ophiuroidea Gray, 1840				MN15
Ophiuroidea Gray, 1840				MN16
Ophiuroidea Gray, 1840				MN21
Ophiuroidea Gray, 1840				BL55
Palaeura neglecta (Schuchert, 1915)				JP816
Pseudosaccoma strambergensis				p2564
Stuerzaster				VH5171

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Morphology of ophiuroids (after Forbes)
a) Ophiura texturata, b) Ophiocoma neglecta (podle Forbese).
Source: http://chestofbooks.com/animals/Manual-Of-Zoology/Order-Ophiuroidea.html

Img. 84:

Img. 84:

Virtual museum of the Czech Geological Survey, www.geology.cz, (C) Czech Geological Survey, 2011, v.0.99 [13.12.2011]