Hitchhikers on my Gorgonian???

[Marcus6374]

Hello, I just got an Orange Gorgonian and it has six little hitchhikers on it. They are brown gray color, and look kinda like little serpent stars currled around parts of the Gorgonian brqanches. When wrapped arround the branch, the area that each one covers is about a 1/4 inch of the branch. It looks like miltiple arms curled tightly around the branch. The tiny little arms look like thay might be striped. I thought that thay were baby serpent stars, untill last night, I turned on the light and most of the little armes were extended sideways out in the water as if to hope to catch food. The arms all were split . The arms are over 1/2 inch long and split into 2, half whay out. The arms look like "Y"s. Durring the day, you can see the little wraped up things slowly move a bit. They are so small, and pictures turn out too blurry.
Does anyone know what these things might be?

Thanks,
Marcus

 

[Marcus6374]

Sorry, these are blurry. There are three in one picture and in the second picture there is one holding on from the back side. The white thing is something else on the rock behind the gorgonian. Hope these photos help.

 

[wade1]

I've seen those in the wild. I think they are just naturally a part of the gorgonian's own little ecosystem. I imagine they are like most other brittle stars and area eating detritus (may even help to keep the gorg clean).

Nothing to be concerned about. Sorry, I can't tell you anything about a genera or species.

Wade

 

[Anonymous]

I agree with Matt, they are probably using the Gorg for protection and in return they keep the detritus off the skin. Probably mutually beneficial. I've also seen Basket Stars exhibit this same behavior but that relationship is one sided.

 

[Anonymous]

Man it is nice to be credited with an ID before I even give it

Those are basket stars, Class Ophiuridae, basically serpent/brittle stars with split arms. They are indeed catching food at night. Difficult to keep in the very long term.

http://www.reefs.org/library/article/r_toonen17.html

 

[Anonymous]

Sorry Wade,

I'm typically posting after Matt. :roll:

 

[romunov]

Dunno, look like ophiuroid aka brittle star to me...

Can we get a better pic?

BTW, basket stars = Crinoidea

 

[Anonymous]

BTW, basket stars = Crinoidea

I believe you are confused with Feather Stars....

 

[Anonymous]

BTW, basket stars = Crinoidea

I believe you are confused with Feather Stars....

Yup. Crinoids are commonly called feather stars.
Here's a commonly imported example.

 

[Anonymous]

...versus a typical adult basket star (Ophiurid).

 

[Anonymous]

I just noticed the bifurcated arm in one of the above pictures. Eagle-eye Matt saw it right away.

Schizostella bifurcata is a good example of this type of Ophiurid.

 

[Marcus6374]

Thanks guys. I wasn't sure what they were. Also, just wondering, I can't see the 2 photos that I posted, but it sounds like you guys can, is there something that I am doing wrong? I'm new at this. Thanks.

 

[Anonymous]

I'll play devil's advocate.:wink:
We do need a better picture though.
I'm not so sure these are members of the family Gogonocephalidae ( Basket Star), I'd be more inclined to say a member of the family Asteroschematidae (Brittle Star). They prey on Gorgonians.

mario

 

[Anonymous]

They look more like brittle stars to me, too.

I have had a basket star on a gorg in the past. Looked just like the pic Matt posted. It was small and wraped itself tight during the day at night it would wave its arms and travel around some. I had it 6 or 7 months before I traded it in with the gorg.

 

[Anonymous]

I believe this is what Matt saw in the first picture... The bifurcation of the arms indicate a basket star.

 

[Anonymous]

I believe this is what Matt saw in the first picture... The bifurcation of the arms indicate a basket star.

And also brittle stars of the family Asteroschematidae. :wink:

mario

 

[Anonymous]

Hell, I don't know, I always thought if it had split arms it was a basket star. The behavior of waving its arms around at night certainly doesn't sound like a gorgonian predator though.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks guys. I wasn't sure what they were. Also, just wondering, I can't see the 2 photos that I posted, but it sounds like you guys can, is there something that I am doing wrong? I'm new at this. Thanks.

You do have to be logged in to see attachments. That could be the reason.

 

[wade1]

After a bit of digging, the only thing I can find is: Astrosierra amblyconus The 'conical brittle star or conical basket star' that appears to look and live like the one you have the picture of above...

That said, those that I have seen are typically very small, so I seriously doubt the species is correct. Its likely closely related though.

And as Matt said, it will be very difficult to keep alive if it truly is a basket, due to feeding requirements.

Wade