Astrocladus euryale, the basket star, or gorgon's head is a brittlestar of the family Gorgonocephalidae found in the coastal waters of South Africa from the west coast of the Cape Peninsula to about Algoa Bay.
Description
The 10 arms branch repeatedly in an alternating pattern into ever-finer tendrils, which can be extended to form a basket-like net for filter feeding, or rolled up compactly against the body disc when not feeding. The body is generally a pale grey studded with whitish knobs usually ringed with black. The pattern varies, and the colours can vary regionally. The arms are usually white to pale grey with black stripes. Disc can be up to about 200mm diameter with extended arms up to 500mm long, Often found on high points of a reef or up on sea fans, noble corals or sponges when feeding. Found on reefs from below about 10m to about 90m.
Originally described as ''Asterias euryale'' by A. J. Retzius, in ''Anmärkningar vid. Asteriae genus. Kungliga Svenska Vetenskapsakademiens handlingar''. Volume 4, pages 230–248, (1783)
Gallery
File:Astrocladus euryale P3164679.JPG, Basket star Astrocladus euryale at Tafelberg Deep reef off the west side of the Cape Peninsula
File:Astrocladus euryale P3164684.JPG, Basket star Astrocladus euryale at Tafelberg Deep reef
File:Astrocladus euryale P3164689.JPG, Basket star Astrocladus euryale at Tafelberg Deep reef
File:Basket star on nippled sea fan at Star Wall DSC00992.JPG, Small basket star on a nippled sea fan at Star Wall off the west side of the Cape Peninsula
File:Basket stars at Star Wall PC318917.JPG, Pair of basket stars at Star Wall
File:Basket star Astrocladus euryale 002.jpg, A juvenile basket star, Astrocladus euryale on a sinuous seafan, Eunicella tricoronata in 27m of water at Atantis Reef, on the west side of False Bay
File:Sea fan with basket star at Finlay's Deep P9055154.JPG, Sea fan with basket star at Finlay's Deep, on the weat side of False Bay.
File:Astrocladus euryale PB300148.JPG, Basket star Astrocladus euryale at the Drop Zone in north eastern False Bay
File:Basket star on noble coral at Middle Bank P2277226.JPG, Basket star on noble coral at Middle Bank, Tsistikamma National Park MPA
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2197129
Gorgonocephalidae
Animals described in 1783