#gorgonocephalus

[snototter]

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

by Alexander Semenov

[sitting-on-me-bum]

"Gorgonocephalus Is A Genus Of Marine Basket Stars In The Class Ophiuroidea"

Photographer and Fisherman: Roman Fedortsov

[e-ziara]

🌊🌊 🐚 BENTHIARY 🐚 🌊🌊 day 11-12 Everyone hears about starfishes aka sea stars. But what about their close relatives, the basket stars? Their main physical attributes are their many arms that extend repeatedly into branches! That's partly why the Gorgonocephalus arcticus gets their name; their curled branched arms looks like a Gorgon's head. Of course, these curly arms help them in getting their dinner on 🌟☀️🌟☀️ Basket stars have such a naturalistic look to them for a deep sea creature, which reminds me of the Tree of Life mythologies. I really in particular like the Muslim and Chinese versions of the myth. It would probably look great as a pattern or a plate design lol 🌱🌳🌿

[est-nord]

https://cornerofthecabinet.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/serpent-project-norway.jpg

[circination]

Gorgonocephalus 

Photo by Alexander Semenov

[flabellinart]

A gorgonocephalid for a gift to a colleague

[montereybayaquarium]

What a basket case for this Deep Sea Saturday from our colleagues at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI)! This crazy critter is a basket star, in the genus Gorgonocephalus. Its scientific name means "dreaded head" in Greek, a reference to how this sea star's tangled arms echo a Gorgon's coiffure of slithering, venomous snakes.

[palaeopedia]

The Gorgonocephalus eucnemis (1815) Phylum : Echinodermata Class : Ophiuroidea Order : Phrynophiuridae Suborder : Euryalina Family : Gorgonocephalidae Genus : Gorgonocephalus Other species : G. arcticus, G. caputmedusae, G. chilensis, G. diomedeae, G. dolichodactylus, G. lamarckii, G. pustulatum, G. sundanus, G. tuberosus

Near threatened

15 cm long (size)

Arctic ocean (map)

Gorgonocephalus is a genus of marine basket stars in the class Ophiuroidea. Members of this genus are found in cold water environments including the Arctic, the Antarctic and deep sea habitats. The scientific name comes from the Greek, "gorgós" meaning "dreaded" and "cephalus" meaning "head", and refers to the similarity between these echinoids and the Gorgon's head from Greek myth with its coiled serpents for hair.

Members of this genus have a central disc with 5 arms which repeatedly bifurcate, dichotomously branching into smaller and smaller subdivisions. They have an endoskeleton of calcified ossicles as do other ophiuroids but in their case, it is covered by a fleshy layer of skin, giving them a rubbery appearance. To feed, a basket star perches in an elevated position such as on a sponge, and extend its arms in a basket-like fashion. The branches and branchlets twist and coil and may ensnare small crustaceans that come within reach such as the northern krill (Meganyctiphanes norvegica). The arms are covered in tiny hooks and spines which hold the prey. Along with the tube feet, these convey it to the mouth, which is on the underside of the central disc.