brittle star

American  

Or brittlestar

noun

1. any echinoderm of the class Ophiuroidea, having the body composed of a central, rounded disk from which radiate long, slender, fragile arms.

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brittle-star British  

noun

1. any echinoderm of the class Ophiuroidea , occurring on the sea bottom and having five long slender arms radiating from a small central disc See also basket-star

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Etymology

Origin of brittle star

First recorded in 1835–45

Example Sentences

This process, known as clonal fragmentation, is practiced by almost 50 species of existing brittle stars and their starfish relatives.

From New York Times

Small prey present in their environment at all temperatures included brittle stars, small crustaceans, worms, and molluscs.

From Science Daily

But most echinoderms -- a group of some 7,000 species that includes brittle stars and similarly brainless starfish, sea urchins and sea cucumbers -- have not been tested.

From Science Daily

The corals were also crawling with critters, including squat lobsters, feathery brittle stars, and dense patches of anemones and sponges.

From Scientific American

Millions of years ago, animals in this phylum—including starfish, brittle stars, sea cucumbers and sea urchins—were all bilateral.

From Scientific American