General Description

Disc covered with minute scales, arms with 4 small blunt arm spines on each side. The plates along the arms are in three pieces. Body grey to cream with wide dark stripes around arms. Disc up to 2.5 cm wide, arms up to 15 cm long.

Biology

Banded Brittle Stars can drop off the ends of their arms, like lizards drop off their tails. These arm pieces have a green luminescent glow, thought to act as a decoy for predators to follow at night. They are often associated with a scale worm that mimics the colour of the brittle star.

Distribution

Southern Australian coasts.

Habitat

Rocky areas, often under flat rocks, to depth of 180 m.

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