The Brooding Snake Star Of The Isle Of Man (Amphipolis Squamata)
- The Persaud Catalog
- Nov 10
- 6 min read
This month's article series will be discussing the tranquil & beautiful, Isle of Man. The Isle of Man is a self-governing British Crown dependency, located in the Irish Sea. It is between Great Britain, & Ireland. It is not owned by the UK, nor is it a territory, though those who are born on the island are entitled to British Citizenship.
The island is most well known for its tax-free status, beautiful fields, sweeping coastlines, & gorgeous cliffs. Additionally, the island is home to the oldest continuous parliament, which dates back to at least 979.
Since the island is not linked to the mainland by road, plane & boat are the only ways to access it. According to our measurements, the island is approximately 276.48 nautical miles (318.167502 miles or 512.04096 Kilometers) off the coast of mainland Europe.
The island's capital is Douglas, which houses the majority of the 84,069 populous. The isle has a lot to offer naturally, with its large puffin population, mussel reefs, lichen colonies, & coastal grasslands. For its biodiversity, the entire island has been awarded biosphere reserve status. Additionally, the majority of the ocean surrounding the island is considered a marine protected area.
One of the creatures that is found both along its shore, & in its oceans, is the Brooding Snake Star, also known as the Dwarf Brittle Star. The Brooding Snake star is a small species of Brittle Star, found across the British Isles. It is closely related to a sea star, & has 5 cephalopod-like arms that it uses to swim around.
Brittle stars get their name from the behaviour of shedding their arms when they feel threatened. They are known to be found under rocks, in seagrass meadows, & in rocky tide pools. Though they can be found in tide pools, they favour deeper environments. Brooding Snake Stars tend to be very shy creatures, & will avoid interaction with humans.
In this article, we will discuss the life & discovery of the Brooding Snake Star, the Mating Tactics, Strategies, Cycles, Practices, Procedures, & Habits Of The Brooding Snake Star, The Distribution Of The Brooding Snake Star, & the Scientific Detailings of the Brooding Snake Star. With that being said, let us delve into this peculiar serpentine creature.
The Life & Discovery Of The Brooding Snake Star
The Brooding Snake Star was first described in the year 1829. The species was described by Stefano Delle Chiaje, an Italian Zoologist, Botanist, & physician.
Individuals are determinate growers, & do not grow for their entire lives. Their disc, which is their center area, is between 3 & 5 millimeters in diameter, while their arms reach a maximum of 10 to 20 millimeters long. Their lifespan is between 1 & 5 years.
This species' intelligence is very limited, as they don’t have a brain. Instead, they have nerve cords that extend down their arms, controlling movement & other bodily functions.
The Brooding Snake Star is believed to have arisen in the Jurassic, which began 201.4 million years ago, & stopped 145 million years ago. As said in the introduction, this species tends to be very timid, & will not interact with humans, aggressively or otherwise. Individuals will migrate throughout their lives, & are not at all territorial.
This species does not exactly swim, it instead wriggles along the ocean floor. They move by twisting their arms to help move them along the oceanic floor. It is unclear how fast they can move. Despite this method not being the most efficient, they are some of the fastest echinoderms. Due to the fact they they remain on the ocean floor, they do not need any organs or special features to help maintain buoyancy. It is not clear how this creature sleeps, or if it sleeps in the traditional ways that most other creatures sleep.
Brooding Snake Stars primarily consume plankton, & organic particles. They usually do not practice cannibalism. Individuals are nocturnal hunters, & hunt by grabbing the particles with their arms, & dragging them towards their mouth. This species is able to locate its prey via odor. Individuals are known to be active predators, though many other brittle stars are scavengers. Brittle stars' most common predators include hermit crabs, sea stars, fish, & starfish.
They are usually grey, yellow, white, blue, or some mix of these. The majority of individuals will have a mixed colour scheme. Additionally, they are phosphorescent. They have 5 arms, similar to a starfish, except thinner & attached to a central disc. Their mouth is located on the underside of their disc.
This species has not yet been assessed by the IUCN Red List.
The Mating Tactics, Strategies, Cycles, Practices, Procedures, & Habits Of The Brooding Snake Star
Brooding Snake Stars Breed via both sexual & asexual reproduction. They primarily reproduce by spawning. This species is hermaphroditic, though they rarely self-fertilize.
Individuals will sexually mature at the age of 2. When reproducing sexually, they will congregate in large groups in order to ensure genetic diversity. It is unclear how these groups form, however, when they do, many individuals will gather & release sperm as well as eggs. When the egg & the sperm come into contact, the egg fertilizes, & eventually a Brooding Snake Star will be born. It is unclear what the juveniles look like, how large they are, or how much they weigh. They do not have a specific breeding season, & groups seem to form throughout the year.
When reproducing asexually, half or more of a single individual will be separated from the other half, & both will regenerate instead of dying. Thus, two new bodies will be created, & two new individuals will emerge.
The Distribution Of The Brooding Sea Star
The Brooding Sea Star is found all across the British Isles as well as the Baltic Sea, in both shallow & deep ocean environments. They are known to burrow in sandy environments. In both shallow & deep ocean environments, they are known to stay in rocky areas, sand-bottomed areas. & sea grass meadows.
Currently, they are recorded to live in environments as deep as 800 meters (2,624.67 feet). Unfortunately, it is difficult to record all the coastal areas that they live in, as they often blend into the rocks. This species is not migratory, & tends to stay around the same area their entire lives.
The Scientific Detailings Of The Brooding Snake Star
The Brooding Snake Star has an incredibly simple body plan. They do not have a brain, eyes, an intestinal system, or an anus. Despite this, they have managed to utterly baffle scientists. Brittle stars seem to be able to learn via association, & have light sensitivity. They do seem to have learning abilities, & can associate the dimming of lights in their aquarium with feeding time. They have light sensitivity, as their chromatophores will signal changes depending on the environment that they are in. Most individuals are also able to react to the environment around them to a certain extent.
Brittle Stars control respiration by small sacs known as bursae. These bursae are able to extract oxygen from the seawater. This species does not have a skeleton, nor does it have teeth.
Currently, there are at least 2 known species of parasites that are associated with Brooding Sea Stars. These parasites are copepods known as Cancerilla Tubulata, & Parachordeumium Amphiurae.
Their phylum is Echinodermata. Two universal characteristics of Echinoderms are radial symmetry, & a water vascular system.
Their class is Ophiuroidea, commonly known as Brittle Stars. Individuals in this class are known for their 5-point radial symmetry, small discs that contain their internal organs, & lack of a brain.
Their order is Ophiurida. This order is known using the bursae for respiration.
They are currently categorized under the family Amphiuridae. Interestingly, this family is known for its behavioural habit of burrowing.
Their genus is Amphipholis, also spelt Amphipolis. This genus is known for its bioluminescence. Their binomial name is Amphipholis Squamata.
Directories / Credits
Citation No. 1: “Amphipolis Squamata (Dwarf Brittle Star)”, Written By Unknown & Published on May 21st of 2012. Published By Between The Tides Of Nova Scotia. Retrieval Date: January 27th, 2024.
Citation No. 2: “Small Brittle Star (Amphipolis Squamata)”, Written By Sonia J. Rowley, & Published on June 9th of 2006. Published By The Marine Life Information Network. Retrieval Date: January 28th, 2023.
Citation No. 3: “Amphipolis Squamata (Chiaje, 1829)”, Written by Bernard E. Picton, & Christine C. Morrow, Published in 2006. Published by The Encyclopedia of Marine Life of Britain & Ireland. Retrieval Date: January 28th, 2023.
Citation No. 4: “Species Information Sheet - Amphipolis Squamata”, Written by Unknown & Published in 2013. Published By HELCOM Red List Benthic Invertebrate Expert Group. Retrieval Date: January 28th, 2023.
Citation No. 5: “Brittle Stars Can Learn Just Fine — Even Without A Brain”, Written By Julia C. Notar, & Madeline C. Go, Published on November 29th of 2023. Published by Duke Today. Retrieval Date: January 28th, 2023.
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