Brooding Snake Star

Cosmopolitan in temperate and warm temperate seas, intertidal to more than 200 m depth. Common among algae in tidepools and under stones in gravel.

In Panama this species has been collected from both the eastern Pacific and the Caribbean Sea. In the Pacific it was collected from Panama Bay (USNM E 27229, USNM E 27230, USNM E 27225, USNM E 27237, Centroid Latitude: 8.8769, Centroid Longitude: -79.5567), Gulf of Panama, while in the Caribbean Sea it is recorded from North of Palina Island (USNM 1117663 & USNM 1117664; Centroid Latitude: 9.6131, Centroid Longitude: -79.5972), Colon, and from Fort Randolph (USNM E 26409), Margarita Island, Limon Bay, from shallow water.

Amphipholis squamata is a species complex, the individual species only distinguishable by molecular markers (see Le Gac et al., 2004)

Clark, A.M. and J. Courtman-Stock. (1976). The echinoderms of southern Africa. Publ. No. 766. British Museum (Nat. Hist), London. 277 pp.

Clark, A.M. (1977). The South African Museum's Meiring Naude cruises, part 4: Echinoderms. Ann. S. Afr. Mus. 73(6):; 133-147.

Gosner, K.L. (1971). Guide to identification of marine and estuarine invertebrates: Cape Hatteras to the Bay of Fundy. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 693 p.

Hansson, H.G. (2001). Echinodermata, in: Costello, M.J. et al. (Ed.) (2001). European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Collection Patrimoines Naturels, 50: pp. 336-351.

Linkletter, L.E. (1977). A checklist of marine fauna and flora of the Bay of Fundy. Huntsman Marine Laboratory, St. Andrews, N.B. 68 p.

Mah, C.L., D.G. McKnight, M.K. Eagle, D.L. Pawson, N. Ameziane, D.J. Vance, A.N. Baker, H.E.S. Clark, and N. Alcock. (2009). Phylum Echinodermata. In Gordon, D.P. (Ed.) The New Zealand Inventory of Biodiversity. Volume 1. Kingdom Animalia: Radiata, Lophotrochozoa, Deuterostomia. Canterbury University Press, Christchurch; 371-400.

Muller, Y. (2004). Faune et flore du littoral du Nord, du Pas-de-Calais et de la Belgique: inventaire. [Coastal fauna and flora of the Nord, Pas-de-Calais and Belgium: inventory]. Commission Régionale de Biologie Région Nord Pas-de-Calais: France. 307 pp.

Pawson, D. L., D. J. Vance, C. G. Messing, F. A. Solis-Marin, and C. L. Mah. (2009). Echinodermata of the Gulf of Mexico, Pp. 1177–1204 in Felder, D.L. and D.K. Camp (eds.), Gulf of Mexico–Origins, Waters, and Biota. Biodiversity. Texas A&M Press, College S.

Southward, E.C.; Campbell, A.C. (2006). [Echinoderms: keys and notes for the identification of British species]. Synopses of the British fauna (new series), 56. Field Studies Council: Shrewsbury, UK. ISBN 1-85153-269-2. 272 pp.

Trott, T.J. (2004). Cobscook Bay inventory: a historical checklist of marine invertebrates spanning 162 years. Northeastern Naturalist (Special Issue 2): 261 - 324.

Barcode of Life

GenBank

World Ophiuroidea Database

LSID urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:125064

Hermaphrodite, possibly self-fertilising, viviparous. Broods young in bursal slits near arm attachment sites.

Amphioplus squamata (Delle Chiaje, 1828)
Amphipholis appressa Ljungman, 1872
Amphipholis australiana H.L. Clark, 1909
Amphipholis elegans (Farquhar, 1897)
Amphipholis japonica Matsumoto, 1915
Amphipholis kinbergi Ljungman, 1872
Amphipholis lineata Ljungman, 1872 (synonym)
Amphipholis minor (Döderlein, 1910)
Amphipholis tenera (Lütken, 1856) (synonym)
Amphipholis tenuispina (Ljungman, 1865) (synonym)
Amphipholis tissieri Reys, 1961
Amphiura elegans Farquhar, 1897 (synonym)
Amphiura neglecta Forbes, 1843
Amphiura parva Hutton, 1878
Amphiura squamata Delle Chiaje, 1828
Amphiura tenera Lütken, 1856
Amphiura tenuispina Ljungman, 1865 (synonym)
Asteria squamata Delle Chiaje, 1828
Asterias noctiluca Viviani, 1805 (according to Millott in Boolootian (1966))
Asterias squamata Delle Chiaje, 1828 (synonym)
Axiognathus squamata (Delle Chiaje, 1829) (synonym)
Ophiactis minor Döderlein, 1910

Amphipholis squamata, common names brooding snake star and dwarf brittle star, is a species complex of brittle stars in the family Amphiuridae.

This species is luminescent with a greenish light.

Hermaphrodite, possibly self-fertilising, viviparous. May-September?

Description: Arm length to 15 mm, disc diamter to 2.5 mm. Disc with obvious scales and with a pair of D-shaped radial shields, half the disc radius in length, twice as long as wide, contiguous. Three oral papillae on each side of the jaw. Aboral arm plates wider than long, distal margin convex. Three arm spines, as long as the segment. Two tentacle scales. Disc colour mottled bluish-grey and pink, the distal part of the radial shields standing out as a bright spot surrounded by darker colour. Arms marked with darker spots. Habitat: lower eulittoral on the underside of stones and among seaweed, and deeper on sand, mud and among seagrasses. Also recorded in SE Arabia, W India, Pakistan, East Indies, north Australia, Philippine, South Pacific Is. and Hawaiian Is. (Clark & Rowe, 1971); Australia (Kalk (1958) and Rowe & Gates (1995)); Lakshadeep (India) in Sastry (1991). General distribution: tropical Indo-Pacific in Kalk (1958); circumglobal (northeastern North America, northern Europe, South Africa, new Zealand, Indo-Pacific Ocean), depth range 0-500 m. (Rowe & Gates, 1995); temperate and tropical waters worldwide (Richmond, 1998). Ecology: benthic, inshore, continental shelf, continental slope (Rowe & Gates, 1995).

Arctic to Florida; Alaska to S. California

Cosmopolitan in temperate and warm temperate seas

Intertidal to more than 200 m depth. Common along algae in tidepools and damp places , and under stones in gravel, from aboout mid-tide level down, all round the British Isles; occasional offshore among gravel and shells. Cosmopolitan in temperate and in warm seas, but A. squamata is probably a species complex, the individual species distinguishable by molecular methods only (Le Gac et al., 2004)

Found from the intertidal zone to 828 m depth, often with tunicates, prefers rock, algae covered and gravel substrate.

Known from seamounts and knolls

Disk circular (dd = 1.08 to 2.47 mm). Covered by large, irregular, and only slightly imbricating scales (Fig. 5g). Sometimes with the central primary plate evident. Radial scales slightly longer than broad, contiguous, separated proximally by a small scale, with outer margin rounded and inner margin straight. Ventral interradius covered by strongly imbricating scales, which are smaller than dorsal scales (Fig. 5h). Distinct line of demarcation between the scales of the dorsal and ventral surface. Bursal slits long and broad (Fig. 5h). Oral shields fan-shape, distal margin enlarged and convex, slightly longer than wide (Fig. 5i). Adoral shields large, united proximally. Two oral papillae on each side of jaw angle, distal long and opercular (Fig. 5i). A pair of infradental papillae. Dorsal arm plate broader than long, proximal margin rounded and distal margin straight (Fig. 5j). Ventral arm plate pentagonal, twice as long as wide. Three arm spines conical, erect, serrate at tip (Fig. 5l). Two tentacle scales small, narrow and elongated.

Traditionally considered cosmopolitan, except for the extreme polar regions (but see remarks). Western Atlantic from Canada, United States, Mexico, the Antilles, Belize, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Brazil, Uruguay, and Santa Cruz Province, Argentina (Bernasconi 1965, Hendler et al. 1995, Hernández-Herrejón et al. 2008, Martínez 2008, Benavides-Serrato et al. 2011). In Brazil, from Pará, Maranhão, Ceará, Paraíba, Alagoas, Bahia (Gondim et al. in press), Rio de Janeiro (H.L. Clark 1915) and, São Paulo (Borges et al. 2002). Intertidal to 1962 m. Found between 21 and 26m in present study.