''Gorgonocephalus eucnemis'' is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

basket star The Euryalina are a suborder of brittle stars, which includes large species with either branching arms (called "basket stars") or long and curling arms (called "snake stars"). It is sometimes listed as the order Euryalida. Characteristics Many ...

in the

class Class, Classes, or The Class may refer to: Common uses not otherwise categorized * Class (biology), a taxonomic rank * Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects * Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used d ...

Ophiuroidea Brittle stars, serpent stars, or ophiuroids (; ; referring to the serpent-like arms of the brittle star) are echinoderms in the class Ophiuroidea, closely related to starfish. They crawl across the sea floor using their flexible arms for locomot ...

. It is found in circumpolar marine environments in the Northern Hemisphere. The scientific name for the genus comes from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

, ''gorgós'' meaning "dreadful" and ''cephalus'' meaning "head", and refers to the similarity between these basket stars and the

Gorgon The Gorgons ( ; ), in Greek mythology, are three monstrous sisters, Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa, said to be the daughters of Phorcys and Ceto. They lived near their sisters the Graeae, and were able to turn anyone who looked at them to sto ...

's head from Greek mythology with its writhing serpents for hair.GORGONOCEPHALUS!! Because Weird is what we do!
EchinoBlog. Retrieved 2012-01-21. The specific name ''eucnemis'' is from the Greek "good" and "boot".

Description

''Gorgonocephalus eucnemis'' has a central disc up to across with five pairs of arms that branch dichotomously into smaller and smaller subdivisions. Its colour is varying shades of white and beige, often with a darker disc. It has an

endoskeleton An endoskeleton (From Ancient Greek ἔνδον, éndon = "within", "inner" + σκελετός, skeletos = "skeleton") is a structural frame (skeleton) — usually composed of mineralized tissue — on the inside of an animal, overlaid by soft ...

of calcified ossicles and is covered in a fleshy layer of skin giving it a rubbery appearance. The arms are covered in tiny hooks and spines which can be used to grip and manipulate food particles.''Gorgonocephalus eucnemis''
The Race Rocks Taxonomy. Retrieved 2012-01-22.

Distribution and habitat

''G. eucnemis'' is found in the

Arctic Ocean The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five oceanic divisions. It spans an area of approximately and is the coldest of the world's oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes it as an ocean, ...

James A. Grieg, ''Report of the Second Norwegian Arctic Expedition in the "Fram" 1898-1902'', No. 13, Vol. 2 ''Echinodermata'' 1907:3, 22ff; specimens found for the first time north and west of

Baffin Bay Baffin Bay (Inuktitut: ''Saknirutiak Imanga''; ; ; ), located between Baffin Island and the west coast of Greenland, is defined by the International Hydrographic Organization as a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean. It is sometimes considered a s ...

, in Havne Fjord and northern parts of the Atlantic Ocean as far south as the

Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ) (alt. the Faroes) are an archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean and an autonomous territory of the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. Located between Iceland, Norway, and the United Kingdom, the islands have a populat ...

and

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

. It also occurs in the Pacific Ocean from the

Bering Sea The Bering Sea ( , ; rus, Бе́рингово мо́ре, r=Béringovo móre, p=ˈbʲerʲɪnɡəvə ˈmorʲe) is a marginal sea of the Northern Pacific Ocean. It forms, along with the Bering Strait, the divide between the two largest landmasse ...

south to

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

and

Laguna Beach, California Laguna Beach (; ''Laguna'', Spanish language, Spanish for "Lagoon") is a city in Orange County, California, United States. Located in Southern California along the Pacific Ocean, this seaside resort city has a mild year-round climate, scenic c ...

. It is mostly found in rocky areas with strong currents at depths to , but is most common at depths of . It is also found on mud and sandy seabeds among boulders,

sea pen Sea pens are marine cnidarians belonging to the superfamily Pennatuloidea, which are colony-forming benthic filter feeders within the order Scleralcyonacea. There are 14 families within the order and 35 extant genera, and it is estimated a ...

s, and

sea fans Alcyonacea is the old scientific order name for the informal group known as "soft corals". It is now an unaccepted name for class Octocorallia. It became deprecated . The following text should be considered a historical, outdated way of treating ...

.''Gorgonocephalus eucnemis'' Muller and Troschel, 1842
Walla Walla University. Retrieved 2012-01-22.

Biology

It feeds by perching in an elevated position and extending its arms in a net-like fashion perpendicular to the current. The branches and branchlets twist and coil, making it resemble an animated bush. It ensnares small

crustacean Crustaceans (from Latin meaning: "those with shells" or "crusted ones") are invertebrate animals that constitute one group of arthropods that are traditionally a part of the subphylum Crustacea (), a large, diverse group of mainly aquatic arthrop ...

s such as the

northern krill Northern krill (''Meganyctiphanes norvegica'') is a species of krill that lives in the North Atlantic Ocean including the Norwegian Sea, North Sea, and parts of the Mediterranean. It is an important component of the zooplankton, providing food fo ...

(''Meganyctiphanes norvegica''),

copepod Copepods (; meaning 'oar-feet') are a group of small crustaceans found in nearly every freshwater and saltwater habitat (ecology), habitat. Some species are planktonic (living in the water column), some are benthos, benthic (living on the sedimen ...

chaetognaths The Chaetognatha or chaetognaths (meaning ''bristle-jaws'') are a phylum of predatory marine worms that are a major component of plankton worldwide. Commonly known as arrow worms, they are mostly pelagic; however about 20% of the known species ...

jellyfish Jellyfish, also known as sea jellies or simply jellies, are the #Life cycle, medusa-phase of certain gelatinous members of the subphylum Medusozoa, which is a major part of the phylum Cnidaria. Jellyfish are mainly free-swimming marine animal ...

, and

detritus In biology, detritus ( or ) is organic matter made up of the decomposition, decomposing remains of organisms and plants, and also of feces. Detritus usually hosts communities of microorganisms that colonize and decomposition, decompose (Reminera ...

that come within reach. Trapped prey becomes the centre of a "knot" where it is immobilised by the secretion of

mucus Mucus (, ) is a slippery aqueous secretion produced by, and covering, mucous membranes. It is typically produced from cells found in mucous glands, although it may also originate from mixed glands, which contain both Serous fluid, serous and muc ...

. Further coiling of the branches brings the food to the mouth which is on the underside of the central disc. Here, the branchlets are passed through a comb-like structure which removes the food particles. There is no anus and any undigested fragments are expelled through the mouth. Individual basket stars are either male or female. After spawning, the

larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

e become part of the

plankton Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms that drift in Hydrosphere, water (or atmosphere, air) but are unable to actively propel themselves against ocean current, currents (or wind). The individual organisms constituting plankton are ca ...

and disperse with the currents. Sanc1601 - Flickr - NOAA Photo Library

Ecology

''G. eucnemis'' is cryptic and remains well hidden during the day. It is protected by the toxic nature of the sponges where it lurks, but is sometimes eaten by fish and crabs. It has been observed to return to a specific location regularly. It is often found living in association with

sponge Sponges or sea sponges are primarily marine invertebrates of the animal phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), a basal clade and a sister taxon of the diploblasts. They are sessile filter feeders that are bound to the seabed, and a ...

s and soft corals in the genus '' Gersemia'', hiding under them or in the folds of the sponges during the day and using them as elevated platforms for searching for prey at night. In

Puget Sound Puget Sound ( ; ) is a complex estuary, estuarine system of interconnected Marine habitat, marine waterways and basins located on the northwest coast of the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. As a part of the Salish Sea, the sound ...

, juveniles have been found to be living and apparently feeding inside the pharynges of '' Gersemia rubiformis'' polyps, only emerging when sufficiently grown to fend for themselves.

References

External links

The basket star (Gorgonocephalus eucnemis), on display at the Monterey Bay Aquarium
lede photo in this article from

Atlas Obscura ''Atlas Obscura'' is an United States, American-based travel and exploration company. It was founded in 2009 by author Joshua Foer and documentary filmmaker/author Dylan Thuras. It catalogs unusual and obscure travel destinations via professiona ...

, APRIL 25, 2023. Tricky work cultivating these critters! {{Taxonbar, from=Q2045008 Gorgonocephalidae Echinoderms of the Arctic Ocean Echinoderms of the Atlantic Ocean Echinoderms of the Pacific Ocean Echinoderms described in 1842