Ophiopsammus maculatus

Ophiopsammus maculatus^[1][2] is a species of brittle star (related to starfish) in the family Ophiodermatidae. The species is a small five-limbed seastar with a round central disk and long, black or red limbs. Its range is New Zealand where it inhabits littoral zones in coastal waters.^[3][4][5]

Ophiopsammus maculatus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Echinodermata
Class:	Ophiuroidea
Order:	Ophiacanthida
Family:	Ophiodermatidae
Genus:	Ophiopsammus
Species:	O. maculatus
Binomial name
Ophiopsammus maculatus Verrill, 1869

Etymology

Maculatus comes from the Latin for 'spotted'. The genus name comes from the Greek ὄφις, for 'snake', and ψάμμος, for 'sand'. Presumably, the name is meant to refer to the long arms and the habitat of the brittle star.^[1]