Ophiuroidea | 
Ophiacanthida | 
Ophiocomidae
			
			
			
				Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range				
				
					Ecology				
				
			
			
				Benthic; depth range 4 - 4 m (Ref. 81187).  Tropical			
			
			
				
			
			
			
				Indo-West Pacific.
			
			
			
			
			
				Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
			
			
				Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm Max length : 1.3 cm WD male/unsexed; (Ref. 87041)			
			
			
						
			
			
			
			
				
					Depth information reported for China (Ref. 81187).  Size refers to disc diameter (Ref. 87041). Found on stones, coral reefs and dead corals (Ref. 87041).				
			
			
			
			
			
				Life cycle and mating behavior				
					Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae				
			
			
				
					Members of the class Ophiuroidea are mostly gonochoric, others are protandric.  Fertilization is external.  Brooding is common, bursae is used as brood chambers where the embryos develop into juveniles and later crawl out from the bursal slits.  Life cycle:  Embryos hatch into free-swimming planktotrophic larvae and later metamorphose into tiny brittle stars which sink down the bottom where they grow into adult form.				
			
			
			
			
			
				Fujita, T. and Y. Liao 2001 Ophiuroids (Echinodermata) collected in the shallow water of Hainan Island, South China Sea. In pp. 95-99, Matsura, K. (ed). 2001. Marine Fauna of the Shallow Waters Around Hainan Island, South China Sea. National Science Museum Monographs 21:95-99. (Ref. 81187)
			
			
			
			
			
			
			
					
						IUCN Red List Status    
						 (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-1)
					
					
					
				
			
			
			
			
				CITES status   (Ref. 108899)
			
			
				
					Not Evaluated				
			
			
			
			
			
			
				
					Not Evaluated				
			
			
			
			
			
				Threat to humans  
			
			
				
					  Harmless				
			
			
			
			
			
			
			
			
				Human uses  
			
			
							
			
			
				 | FishSource | 			
			
			
			
			
			
Tools
			
			
			
			
				
					More information				
				
					 Trophic EcologyFood items (preys)
Diet composition
Food consumption
Predators
  Population dynamicsGrowth
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
Abundance
  Life cycleReproductionMaturityFecunditySpawningEggsEgg developmentLarvae   PhysiologyOxygen consumption
  Human RelatedStamps, coins, misc.
  
			 
			
			
			
				Internet sources
			
			
			
			
			
				Estimates based on models
			
			
			
							
			
			
			
			
			
						
							
				
					
						Fishing Vulnerability  					
					
					
						Low vulnerability (10 of 100).