Red ophiocoma
Ophiomastix wendtii, also known by its common name, the red ophiocoma, and formerly as Ophiocoma wendtii, is a species of brittle stars that inhabits coral reefs from Bermuda to Brazil, primarily in the Caribbean sea. These brittle stars have long, thin arms emanating from a small, disk-shaped body, and club-like spines along its arms. They are about the size of an outstretched human hand.
Ophiomastix wendtii is commonly found in reef rubble of the Caribbean Sea, particularly in the Gulf of Mexico. It is most commonly found near Belize and Costa Rica. However, it has been reported as far south as near Brazil. It has also, however, been reported in the Mozambique Channel, between the eastern coast of Africa and Madagascar. It is typically found within a depth range of 1 to 27 meters.
Ophiomastix wendtii, being a member of the Ophiomastix genus, bears the aforementioned long, club-shaped spines on its arms. O. wendtii can change its color, by means of phototropic chromatophores. O. wendtii is typically deep crimson in color, and fades to a neutral beige in the night. Its color can be artificially changed by alterations in light exposure. The O. wendtii has a system of protection on its arms, covered with calcite crystals. It is thought to reinforce the calcite on its arms with magnesium-rich nanoprecipitates, making its protective crystals more difficult to crack. Much like other echinoderms, O. wendtii forms a mineralized skeleton. It inhabits reef rubble, and is averse to light, preferring to come out during night over day. The pluteus larvae of O. wendtii are planktotrophic, feeding on plankton.
