Occurs within several meters of active black smokers and diffusers mainly on blocks of sulphide from collapsed chimneys; abundant on beds of mytilid bivalves Bathymodiolus spp. Appears restricted to depths below 1600 m, most abundant below 3000 m. Also abundant on Northwest Atlantic cold seeps with similar depth preference. Post-larval structures suggest planktonic development. Affinity to Bathymodiolus suggests that these ophiuroids may utilize the rich organic food source provided by the mussel pseudofeces.