Astroboa nuda

This species is a typical basket star, with arms divided into five sections, with many smaller arms branching off of these sections. The arms can range throughout a variety of lengths both within and among individuals of Astroboa nuda. Shorter arms help the basket stars attach themselves to a substrate, and may also help carry food from the longer arms, which catch prey, to the mouth. A. nuda have a simple digestive system, consisting of an esophagus connected to a sac-like stomach. They have no anus or intestines. The mouth is found on the underside of the body. It is now labeled with the specimen number MCZ OPH-2911. Live A. nuda are usually dark violet, black, or dark brown in color, but can occasionally be pale yellow (cream-colored). Typically, the yellow A. nuda tend to be larger. This variation in color and size have not been shown to cause differences in behavior. == Habitat and Distribution ==

Astroboa nuda are found throughout the tropical seas of the Indo-Pacific, occurring in the Gulf of Aqaba at its northernmost range, and eastwards to the seas around Indonesia, the Philippines, the northern coast of Australia, New Caledonia, and Vanuatu. Like other gorgonocephalids, they are benthic, commonly being found on the seafloor at depths greater than twenty meters, and up to down in submarine canyons in Sodwana Bay. Unlike some other species within Ophiuroidea that form aggregations, Astroboa nuda are usually found alone or in groups of two to four. == Ecology ==

, Egypt) Astroboa nuda is a filter feeder and usually feeds on plankton, such as the larvae of decapods and copepods, as well as those of fish. Basket stars generally have very few predators, as they are low in nutritional value, but are preyed upon by some fish. They may break off part or all of one of their arms in order to escape, but these arms will regenerate. Symbioses Cardinalfish of the genus Apogon may shelter amongst the arms of Astroboa nuda, apparently feeding on the food captured by the basket star. A. nuda also serves as a host to large copepod populations. These copepods, of the species Doridicola connexus (Lichomolgidae) and Collocherides singularis (Asterocheridae) live in the stomach of the basket stars. In addition, C. singularis, C. astroboae, D. connexus, and D. micropus also live as ectoparasites. ==Gallery==

File:Basket Star (Astroboa nuda) (6053316668).jpg File:Gorgon Head Basket Star,Astroba nuda at Dangerous Reef, St John's reefs, Red Sea, Egypt -SCUBA (6331535415).jpg File:Ofiura (Astroboa nuda), mar Rojo, Egipto, 2023-04-15, DD 149.jpg File:Astroboa nuda 30611236.jpg File:Giant basket star (Astroboa nuda) (26295193619).jpg File:Gorgon Head Basket Star,Astroba nuda at Sataya Reef (night), Red Sea, Egypt -SCUBA -UNDERWATER -PICTURES (6406255651).jpg ==Note==