Dwarf brittle star
| Amphipholis squamata | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Echinodermata |
| Subphylum: | Eleutherozoa |
| Class: | Ophiuroidea |
| Order: | Ophiurida |
| Suborder: | Gnathophiurina |
| Family: | Amphiuridae |
| Genus: | Amphipholis |
| Species: | A. squamata |
| Binomial name | |
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Amphipholis squamata Delle Chiaje, 1829 |
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Amphipholis squamata, common names brooding snake star and dwarf brittle star, is a species of brittle star in the family Amphiuridae.
This species is small, grey to bluish-white, and phosphorescent. It has thin, short arms around 20 mm long. The round disc is 3 to 5mm, and has a scale covering with D-shaped radial plates. It has rhombic-shaped mouth shields and extremely wide mouth papillae.
Amphipholis squamata is found in all parts of the British Isles and also in Ireland. It has also been recorded in many other parts of the world.
This brittle star lives in the intertidal zone in shallow water, and can be found under large stones, shells, and around sessile invertebrates such as bryozoans.
This brittle star hosts at least two species of ectoparasites. The following two that have been confirmed are both copepods:
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Wikipedia