Blue-lined
brittle star
Macrophiothrix lineocaerulea
Family Ophiotrichidae
updated
Apr 2020
Where
seen? This elegantly marked long-armed brittle star is sometimes seen in
rubbly areas near seagrasses on our Northern shores, especially at
night. It was previously known as Ophiothrix lineocaerulea.
Features: Disk
diameter about 1cm, arms 10-20cm long. Central disk thick and somewhat
pentagonal. Long blunt cylindrical spines along the length of the
arms, held in a bristley manner so the arm resembles a bottle brush.
A pair of dark parallel lines along the upperside of the arms. This
pair of lines continues on the central disk. The arms have diffuse
banding of blue and yellow.
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Beting Bronok, Jun 10 |
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Underside. |
Sometimes confused with the Very
long armed brittle star (Macrophiothrix longipeda) which
also has very long arms but lacks the blue lines and has flatter spines.
Status
and threats: The Blue-lined brittle star is listed among
the threatened animals of Singapore. Like other creatures of the intertidal zone, they are affected by
human activities such as reclamation and pollution. Trampling by careless
visitors also have an impact on local populations. |
Pulau Sekudu, Aug 04 |
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Pulau Sekudu,
Jul 04
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Releasing eggs?
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Blue-lined
brittle stars on Singapore shores |
Other sightings on Singapore shores |
Terumbu Pempang Tengah, May 11
Photo shared by Loh Kok Sheng on his
blog. |
Changi, May 13
Photo shared by Loh Kok Sheng on flickr. |
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Links
References
- Lane, David
J.W. and Didier Vandenspiegel. 2003. A
Guide to Sea Stars and Other Echinoderms of Singapore.
Singapore Science Centre. 187pp.
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