Frequency of sublethal injury in a deepwater ophiuroid, Ophiacantha bidentata, an important component of western Atlantic Lophelia reef communities

An uncommon or just an ecologically demanding species? Finding of aggregations of the brittle-star Ophiothrix maculata on the Northwest African slope

“…Although our findings constitute the first records of these ophiuroid aggregations in Northwest Africa, some associations of dense populations of brittle stars with coldwater corals and other suspension-feeder assemblages have been described worldwide. Thus, Brooks et al (2007) mentioned associations of Ophiacantha bidentata (Bruzelius, 1805) with deep-water coral reefs, in particular with Lophelia pertusa, in the southeastern coast of the United States. O'Hara (2007) andO'Hara et al (2008) reported associations of ophiuroids with coral reefs of Solenosmilia variabilis Duncan, 1873 in Australia and New Zealand.…”

Interspecific differences in feeding selectivity shape isotopic niche structure of three ophiuroids in the Arctic Ocean

“…The high densities of ophiuroids, often observed in dense aggregations, make them the most common components of benthic assemblages in the Arctic Ocean (e.g. Piepenburg & Schmid, 1996;Starmans et al, 1999;Sejr et al, 2000;Brooks et al, 2007). With approximately 73 species recorded, brittle stars (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea) are present in a wide geographic and bathymetric distribution (Stöhr et al 2012, Ravelo et al 2017).…”

“…With approximately 73 species recorded, brittle stars (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea) are present in a wide geographic and bathymetric distribution (Stöhr et al 2012, Ravelo et al 2017). Among the brittle stars studied, Ophiacantha bidentata is a widespread arcticboreal ophiuroid with a circumpolar distribution that can switch from deposit to suspension feeding depending on food availability (Brooks et al 2007). The ophiuroids Ophiocten sericeum, and Ophiopleura borealis have been described as endemic Arctic species, and they are considered mobile deposit or predator-scavenger feeders (Paterson et al 1982, Piepenburg & Schmid 1996, Gallagher et al 1998.…”

“…In general, brittle stars have been suggested to be opportunistic facultative deposit or suspension feeders (Jangoux 1982). However, according to changes in the availability of resources, ophiuroids display wide-ranging trophic flexibility, using more than one feeding mode (Pearson & Gage 1984, Brooks et al 2007.…”