Astrophyton
Genus of brittle stars / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Not to be confused with Astrophytum.
Astrophyton muricatum, the giant basket star, is an echinoderm found in shallow parts of the tropical western Atlantic and throughout the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.[1] It is the only species in the genus Astrophyton.[2] During the day, it curls up into a tight ball shape to protect itself from predators. At night, it climbs to an elevated point to feed by extending its intricately branched feeding arms in a bowl-like shape in order to snare passing plankton and other organisms from the current.
Quick Facts Astrophyton, Scientific classification ...
Astrophyton | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Echinodermata |
Class: | Ophiuroidea |
Order: | Phrynophiurida |
Family: | Gorgonocephalidae |
Subfamily: | Gorgonocephalinae |
Genus: | Astrophyton Fleming, 1828 |
Species: | A. muricatum |
Binomial name | |
Astrophyton muricatum (Lamarck, 1816) | |
Synonyms | |
Euryale muricatum Lamarck, 1816 |
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