#gorgonocephalidae

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Uncharismatic Fact of the Day

Can you count how many arms this starfish has?

That's a trick question-- it's only 10! Like most echinoderms, the basket starfish Gorgonocephalus eucnemis has 5 pairs of arms, which branch out fractally into an elaborate basket. G. eucnemis is the largest of the basket starfish, reaching up to 80 cm (33 in) in diameter!

(Image: A basket starfish, Gorgonocephalus eucnemis, by smithsonian_marinegeo)

[snototter]

A basket star (Gorgonocephalus arcticus) in the White Sea, Russia

by Alexander Semenov

[wikipediapictures]

Astroboa nuda

“Close-up of basket star (Astroboa nuda) arm fragment in the Red Sea. One can see some smallest tentacles of the star are beginning to curl up because of the presence of a photographer.” - via Wikimedia Commons

[snototter]

A basket star (Astroboa granulatus) unfurling at night to feed on plankton in East Timor

by Nick Hobgood

[wikipediapictures]

Basket star

“Basket star on sea fan, taken at the dive site Fan Reef, also known as Fantastic Reef, a small offshore rocky reef in the Castle Rocks area on the False Bay coast of the Cape Peninsula, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.” - via Wikimedia Commons

[escuerzoresucitado]

Gorgonocephalidae

[namakos]

Astroclon propugnatoris / サキワレテヅルモヅル

Astroclon propugnatoris

Astroclon propugnatoris, a species of basket star. These arms have irregularly branched shapes.

サキワレテヅルモヅル 腕が木の枝のように分岐しておる。

Animalia Echinodermata Ophiuroidea Gorgonocephalidae Phrynophiurida 動物界 棘皮動物門 クモヒトデ綱 カワクモヒトデ目 テヅルモヅル科 Pictures were taken at Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, Japan.

[namakos]

Astrocladus coniferous / セノテヅルモヅル

Astrocladus coniferus

Astrocladus coniferus, a species of basket star. This is a branch of a plant no matter how you look at it.

セノテヅルモヅル どう見ても植物の枝ですな。

Animalia Echinodermata Ophiuroidea Gorgonocephalidae Phrynophiurida 動物界 棘皮動物門 クモヒトデ綱 カワクモヒトデ目 テヅルモヅル科 The picture was taken at Sumida Aquarium, Tokyo, Japan.