Brooding Smooth Brittle Star

Ophiomyxa vivipara

Other invertebrates
IUCN: Not evaluated

Usual depth126–1,086 m
Water temperature-1–21 °C
Best monthsApril and June
How commonRare

All species

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

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Best months

Worldwide (open data)

January: 13 records
February: 18 records
March: 28 records
April: 55 records
May: 19 records
June: 62 records
July: 2 records
August: 3 records
September: 2 records
October: 22 records
November: 21 records
December: 5 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 126–1,086 m · Deepest record: 1,650 m

10–20 m: 3 records
20–30 m: 1 records
30–40 m: 0 records
40–50 m: 0 records
50–60 m: 0 records
60–70 m: 0 records
70–80 m: 3 records
80–90 m: 5 records
90–100 m: 1 records
100–110 m: 1 records
110–120 m: 3 records
120+ m: 169 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of -1–21 °C

-2–0 °C: 1 records
0–2 °C: 1 records
2–4 °C: 1 records
4–6 °C: 4 records
6–8 °C: 28 records
8–10 °C: 17 records
10–12 °C: 3 records
12–14 °C: 26 records
14–16 °C: 78 records
16–18 °C: 15 records
18–20 °C: 19 records
20–22 °C: 1 records

Names and classification

English: Brooding Smooth Brittle Star, Orange Brittle Star

Names in 1 more languages

Spanish: Ofiura incubadora lisa, Ofiura incubadora naranja

Other scientific names: Ophiomyxa coppingeri, Ophioscolex coppingeri

Similar species

Sources and credits

Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).

Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
392 open-data records from 1927 to 2024.
Species data updated November 5, 2026.

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