(of Asterias squamata Delle Chiaje, 1828) Delle Chiaje S. (1823-1831). Memorie sulla storia e notomia degli animali senza vertebre del regno di Napoli. Napoli: Fratelli Fernandes (vol. 1), and Società Tipografica (vol. 2-4). Vol. 1, pp. i-xii, 1-84 [1823], pp. 1-184 [1824]; vol. 2, pp. [1-4] + 185-224 [1825], pp. 225-444 [1826]; vol. 3, pp. i-xx, pp. 1-232 [1828]; vol. 4, pp. i-vii [1831], 1-116 [1830], pp. 117-214 [1831]; pl. 1-4; pl. 1-69 [date?], pl. 70-109 [1830][dates according to Sherborn, 1922]., available online at https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.10021
page(s): In Volume III - Pag 74 [details]

Descriptive notes

Description Description: Arm length to 15 mm, disc diamter to 2.5 mm. Disc with obvious scales and with a pair of D-shaped radial...

Description Description: Arm length to 15 mm, disc diamter to 2.5 mm. Disc with obvious scales and with a pair of D-shaped radial shields, half the disc radius in length, twice as long as wide, contiguous. Three oral papillae on each side of the jaw. Aboral arm plates wider than long, distal margin convex. Three arm spines, as long as the segment. Two tentacle scales. Disc colour mottled bluish-grey and pink, the distal part of the radial shields standing out as a bright spot surrounded by darker colour. Arms marked with darker spots. Habitat: lower eulittoral on the underside of stones and among seaweed, and deeper on sand, mud and among seagrasses.
Also recorded in SE Arabia, W India, Pakistan, East Indies, north Australia, Philippine, South Pacific Is. and Hawaiian Is. (Clark & Rowe, 1971); Australia (Kalk (1958) and Rowe & Gates (1995)); Lakshadeep (India) in Sastry (1991).
General distribution: tropical Indo-Pacific in Kalk (1958); circumglobal (northeastern North America, northern Europe, South Africa, new Zealand, Indo-Pacific Ocean), depth range 0-500 m. (Rowe & Gates, 1995); temperate and tropical waters worldwide (Richmond, 1998).
Ecology: benthic, inshore, continental shelf, continental slope (Rowe & Gates, 1995). [details]

Distribution Intertidal to more than 200 m depth. Common along algae in tidepools and damp places , and under stones in gravel, from...

Distribution Intertidal to more than 200 m depth. Common along algae in tidepools and damp places , and under stones in gravel, from aboout mid-tide level down, all round the British Isles; occasional offshore among gravel and shells.
Cosmopolitan in temperate and in warm seas, but A. squamata is probably a species complex, the individual species distinguishable by molecular methods only (Le Gac et al., 2004) [details]

Distribution Cosmopolitan in temperate and warm temperate seas

Distribution Cosmopolitan in temperate and warm temperate seas [details]

Distribution Arctic to Florida; Alaska to S. California

Distribution Arctic to Florida; Alaska to S. California [details]

Taxonomic citation

Stöhr, S.; O’Hara, T.; Thuy, B. (Eds) (2025). World Ophiuroidea Database. Amphipholis squamata (Delle Chiaje, 1828). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=125064 on 2025-07-15

Taxonomic edit history

Date

action

2004-12-21 15:54:05Z

created

Hansson, Hans

2007-07-18 12:17:12Z

checked

Stöhr, Sabine

2010-05-18 08:14:54Z

changed

Stöhr, Sabine

2016-02-22 09:32:43Z

changed

Stöhr, Sabine

2016-05-18 09:52:29Z

changed

Stöhr, Sabine

Licensing

The webpage text is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License

[taxonomic tree]

Nomenclature

original description (of Asterias squamata Delle Chiaje, 1828) Delle Chiaje S. (1823-1831). Memorie sulla storia e notomia degli animali senza vertebre del regno di Napoli. Napoli: Fratelli Fernandes (vol. 1), and Società Tipografica (vol. 2-4). Vol. 1, pp. i-xii, 1-84 [1823], pp. 1-184 [1824]; vol. 2, pp. [1-4] + 185-224 [1825], pp. 225-444 [1826]; vol. 3, pp. i-xx, pp. 1-232 [1828]; vol. 4, pp. i-vii [1831], 1-116 [1830], pp. 117-214 [1831]; pl. 1-4; pl. 1-69 [date?], pl. 70-109 [1830][dates according to Sherborn, 1922]., available online at https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.10021
page(s): In Volume III - Pag 74 [details]

original description (of Amphipholis lineata Ljungman, 1872) Ljungman, A.V. 1872. Förteckning öfver uti Vestindien af Dr A. Goës samt under korvetten Josefinas expedition i Atlantiska Oceanen samlade Ophiurider. Öfversigt af Kungliga Vetenskapsakademiens Förhandlingar 1871, 28(5), 615-658. [details]

original description (of Amphipholis patagonica Ljungman, 1872) Ljungman, A.V. 1872. Förteckning öfver uti Vestindien af Dr A. Goës samt under korvetten Josefinas expedition i Atlantiska Oceanen samlade Ophiurider. Öfversigt af Kungliga Vetenskapsakademiens Förhandlingar 1871, 28(5), 615-658. [details]

original description (of Amphipholis kinbergi Ljungman, 1872) Ljungman, A.V. 1872. Förteckning öfver uti Vestindien af Dr A. Goës samt under korvetten Josefinas expedition i Atlantiska Oceanen samlade Ophiurider. Öfversigt af Kungliga Vetenskapsakademiens Förhandlingar 1871, 28(5), 615-658. [details]

original description (of Amphipholis appressa Ljungman, 1872) Ljungman, A.V. 1872. Förteckning öfver uti Vestindien af Dr A. Goës samt under korvetten Josefinas expedition i Atlantiska Oceanen samlade Ophiurider. Öfversigt af Kungliga Vetenskapsakademiens Förhandlingar 1871, 28(5), 615-658. [details]

original description (of Amphiura tenuispina Ljungman, 1865) Ljungman, A. V. (1865). Tillägg till kännedom af Skandinaviens Ophiurider. Öfversigt af Kgl. Vetenskaps-Akademiens Förhandlingar 1863. 21(7), 359-367, pl. XV. [details]

original description (of Amphipholis japonica Matsumoto, 1915) Matsumoto, H. (1915). A new classification of the Ophiuroidea: with description of new genera and species. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. 68: 43-92., available online at https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/1708443 [details]

original description (of Amphiura neglecta (Johnston, 1835)) Forbes, E. 1843. On the radiata of the eastern Mediterranean. Trans. Linn. Soc. London, 19: 143-153. [details]

original description (of Amphipholis australiana H.L. Clark, 1909) Clark, H. L. (1909). Notes on some Australian and Indo-Pacific echinoderms. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology. 52: 107-135., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/4336873 [details]

original description (of Amphiura parva Hutton, 1878) Hutton, F. W. (1879). Notes on some New Zealand Echinodermata, with descriptions of new species. Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 11: 305-308., available online at http://rsnz.natlib.govt.nz/volume/rsnz_11/rsnz_11_00_002720.pdf [details]

original description (of Amphiura tenera Lütken, 1859) Lütken, C. F. (1859). Additamenta ad historiam Ophiuridarum. Anden Afdelning. Det kongelige danske Videnskabernes Selskabs Skrifter. 5 Raekke, Naturvidenskabelig og mathematisk Afdelning. 5, 177-271, 5 pl., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/13591530
page(s): 226 [details]

original description (of Ophiactis minor Döderlein, 1910) Döderlein, L. (1910). Asteroidea, Ophiuroidea, Echinoidea. In: Schultze, L. Zoologische und Anthropologische Ergebnisse einer Forschungsreise im westlichen und zentralen Südafrika ausgeführt 1903-1905 (Jenaer Denkschrift 16). 4(1), 246-258., available online at http://www.vliz.be/en/imis?module=ref&refid=216075 [details]

original description (of Amphipholis tissieri Reys, 1961) Reys, J.P. (1961). Deux Ophiures nouvelles: Amphipholis tissieri et Ophiomyces peresi. Recueil des Travaux de la Station Marine d'Endoume. 36: 153-157. [details]

original description (of Asterias noctiluca Viviani, 1805) Viviani, Dominico. (1805). Phosphorescentia maris quatuordecim lucescentium animaliculorum novis speciebus illustrata [Marine phosphorescence of fourteen luminous animals illustrated by new species]. [booklet]. 1-17, plates 1-5, printed by Joannis Giossi, of Genuae., available online at https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_nD4Kwfccn8kC/mode/2up
page(s): 6 [details]

original description (of Ophiura elegans Leach, 1815) Leach, W. E. (1814-1817). Zoological miscellany: being descriptions of new or interesting animals. London. Vol. 1 [1814]. Vol. 2 [1815], Vol. 3 [1817]., available online at http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/91180
page(s): 57 [details]

original description (of Ophiolepis tenuis Ayres, 1852) Ayres, W.O. (1852). An account of the structure of the Ophiuridae and a description and drawings of a new species belonging to the genus Ophiolepis. Proceedings Boston Society Natural History. 4: 133-135., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/8870843 [details]

original description (of Ophiura neglecta Johnston, 1835) Johnston, G. (1835). Illustrations in British Zoology. Magazine of natural history and journal of zoology, botany, mineralogy, geology and meteorology. 8: 465-467., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/2335587
page(s): 467 [details]

basis of record Hansson, H.G. (2001). Echinodermata, in: Costello, M.J. et al. (Ed.) (2001). European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Collection Patrimoines Naturels,. 50: pp. 336-351. (look up in IMIS) [details]

Taxonomy

status source Hendler, G.; Peck, R.W. 1988. Ophiuroids off the deep end: Fauna of the Belizean fore-reef slope. In: Burke, R.D.; Mladenov, P.V.; Lambert, P.; Parsley, R.L. Echinoderm Biology, Proceedings of the sixth International Echinoderm Conference, 411-419. [details]

Other

context source (Deepsea) Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO. The Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS), available online at http://www.iobis.org/ [details]

context source (HKRMS) Wai, H.Y. (2009) Effects of Deployment of Artificial Reefs on the Marine Benthic Environment, with Special Reference to Sediment Physico-Chemical Chanracteristics. MPhil thesis. City University of Hong Kong. [details]

context source (BeRMS 2020) Aquatic environment and quality group; Flanders research institute for agriculture, fisheries and food (ILVO), Belgium; (2017): Subtidal macrobenthos monitoring in function of a foreshore suppletion at the Belgian coast, period 2013-2016. [details]

context source (PeRMS) Solís-Marín, F. A.; Alvarado, J. J.; Abreu-Pérez, M.; Aguilera, O.; Alió, J.; Bacallado-Aránega, J. J.; Barraza, E.; Benavides-Serrato, M.; Benítez-Villalobos, F.; Betancourt-Fernández, L.; Borges, M.; Brandt, M.; Brogger, M. I.; Borrero-Pérez, G. H.; Buitrón-Sánchez, E.; Campos, L. S.; Cantera, J.; Clemente, S.; Cohen-Renjifo, M.; Coppard, S.; Costa-Lotufo, L. V.; del Valle-García, R.; Díaz, Y.; Díaz de Vivar, M. E.; Díaz-Martínez, J. P.; Durán-González, A.; Epherra, L.; Escolar, M.; Francisco, V.; Freire, C. A.; García-Arrarás, E.; Gil, D. G.; Guarderas, P.; Hadel, V. F.; Hearn, A.; Hernández, J. C.; Hernández-Delgado, E. A.; Herrera-Moreno, A.; Herrero-Pérezrul, M. D.; Hooker, Y.; Honey-Escandón, M. B. I.; Lodeiros, C.; Luzuriaga, M.; Manso, C. L. C.; Martín, A.; Martinez, M. I.; Martínez, S.; Moro-Abad; Mutschke, E.; Navarro, J. C.; Neira, R.; Noriega, N.; Palleiro-Nayar, J. S.; Pérez, A. F.; Pérez-Ruzafa, A.; Prieto-Rios, E.; Reyes, J.; Rodríguez, R.; Rubilar, T.; Sancho-Mejía, T.; Sangil, C.; Silva, J. R. M. C.; Sonnenholzner, J. I.; Ventura, C. R.; Tablado, A.; Tavares, Y.; Tiago, C. G.; Tuya, F.;Williams, S. M. (2013). Appendix. In: J. J. Alvarado & F. A. Solís-Marín (eds), Echinoderm Research and Diversity in Latin America. pp. 471-510. Springer; Berlin & Heidelberg. page(s): 543-654. [details]

additional source Gosner, K. L. (1971). Guide to identification of marine and estuarine invertebrates: Cape Hatteras to the Bay of Fundy. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., London. 693 pp. [pdf copepod and branchiuran :445-455]. (look up in IMIS) [details] Available for editors

[request]

additional source Linkletter, L. E. (1977). A checklist of marine fauna and flora of the Bay of Fundy. Huntsman Marine Laboratory, St. Andrews, N.B. 68: p. [details]

additional source Pollock, L.W. (1998). A practical guide to the marine animals of northeastern North America. Rutgers University Press. New Brunswick, New Jersey & London. 367 pp., available online at http://books.google.com/books?id=i1AmT31cuR4C [details]

additional source Clark, A. M. (1977). The South African Museum's Meiring Naude cruises, part 4: Echinoderms. Ann. S. Afr. Mus. 73(6):; 133-147. [details]

additional source Clark, A. M.; Courtman-Stock, J. (1976). The echinoderms of southern Africa. Publ. No. 766. British Museum (Nat. Hist), London. 277 pp. [details]

additional source Southward, E.C.; Campbell, A.C. (2006). [Echinoderms: keys and notes for the identification of British species]. Synopses of the British fauna (new series), 56. Field Studies Council: Shrewsbury, UK. ISBN 1-85153-269-2. 272 pp. (look up in IMIS) [details]

additional source Muller, Y. (2004). Faune et flore du littoral du Nord, du Pas-de-Calais et de la Belgique: inventaire. [Coastal fauna and flora of the Nord, Pas-de-Calais and Belgium: inventory]. Commission Régionale de Biologie Région Nord Pas-de-Calais: France. 307 pp., available online at http://www.vliz.be/imisdocs/publications/145561.pdf [details]

additional source Mah, C.L.; McKnight, D.G.; Eagle, M.K.; Pawson, D.L.; Améziane, N.; Vance, D.J.; Baker, A.N.; Clark, H.E.S.; Davey, N. (2009). Phylum Echinodermata: sea stars, brittle stars, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, sea lilies. In: Gordon, D.P. (Ed.) (2009). New Zealand inventory of biodiversity: 1. Kingdom Animalia: Radiata, Lophotrochozoa, Deuterostomia. pp. 371-400. [details]

additional source Hansson, H. G. (1998). NEAT (North East Atlantic Taxa): Scandinavian Echinodermata Check-List (Comp.). , available online at https://www.gu.se/sites/default/files/2020-10/NEAT%2AEchinodermata.pdf [details]

additional source Pawson, D. L., D. J. Vance, C. G. Messing, F. A. Solis-Marin & C. L. Mah. (2009). Echinodermata of the Gulf of Mexico. Pp. 1177–1204 in Felder, D.L. and D.K. Camp (eds.), Gulf of Mexico–Origins, Waters, and Biota. Biodiversity. Texas A&M Press, College S. [details]

additional source Liu, J.Y. [Ruiyu] (ed.). (2008). Checklist of marine biota of China seas. China Science Press. 1267 pp. (look up in IMIS) [details] Available for editors

[request]

additional source Trott, T. J. (2004). Cobscook Bay inventory: a historical checklist of marine invertebrates spanning 162 years. Northeastern Naturalist. 11, 261-324., available online at http://www.gulfofmaine.org/kb/files/9793/TROTT-Cobscook%20List.pdf [details] Available for editors

[request]

Present

Present in aphia/obis/gbif/idigbio

Inaccurate

Introduced: alien

Containing type locality

Paratype (of Amphipholis australiana H.L. Clark, 1909) MCZ OPH-1400 [details]

Syntype (of Amphipholis kinbergi Ljungman, 1872) MCZ OPH-1407 [details]

Syntype (of Amphipholis japonica Matsumoto, 1915) MCZ OPH-3893 [details]

Unknown type, geounit Naples [details]

From editor or global species database

Biology This species is luminescent with a greenish light. [details]

Unreviewed

Breeding Hermaphrodite, possibly self-fertilising, viviparous. May-September? [details]

Distribution Cosmopolitan in temperate and warm temperate seas [details]

Distribution Arctic to Florida; Alaska to S. California [details]

Habitat Known from seamounts and knolls [details]

Habitat Found from the intertidal zone to 828 m depth, often with tunicates, prefers rock, algae covered and gravel substrate. [details]

Reproduction Broods young in bursal slits near arm attachment sites. [details]

Definitions

Language	Name
Dutch	levendbarende slangster	[details]
English	Dwarf brittle star, Long-armed brittle star, Scale brittle star, Small brittle star, Tiny brittle starbrooding snake star	[details]
French	ophiure écailleuse	[details]
German	Schuppiger Schlangenstern	[details]
Japanese	イソコモチクモヒトデ	[details]
Norwegian Bokmål	dvergslangestjerne	[details]
Norwegian Nynorsk	dvergslangestjerne	[details]
Swedish	dvärgormstjärna	[details]