sponge Iophon radiatus

Some Ophiurolepis species of brittle stars may be parasitized by an epizoic sponge Iophon radiatus [1]. I. radiatus is dark brown, obscures the brittle star's true color, and grows on the disc and arm bases of Ophiurolepis [1]. Presence of I. radiatus is not definitive for identifying O. gelida; some O. gelida lack it and other species of Ophiurolepis have it [1,2,3].

1: The Fauna of the Ross Sea, Part 1, Ophiuroidea. HB Fell. New Zealand Department of Scientific and Industrial Research Bulletin 142, New Zealand Oceanographic Institute Memoir 18, 1961; 2: John Dearborn, personal communication, 1999; 3: AFJ Madsen. B.A.N.Z. Antarctic Research Expedition 1929-1931. Reports, Series B (Zoology and Botany) Volume 9, Part 3, Ophiuroidea. Adelaide : BANZAR Expedition Committee, 1967;

Text ©Peter Brueggeman. Photographs ©Paul Cziko. Photographs may not be used in any form without the express written permission of Paul Cziko.