Biology

O. albida has separate sexes, external fertilization and pelagic larvae. The maximum age is estimated at 3 years. This shortlived species shows a relatively fast-growing strategy. O. albida may be particularly vulnerable to predation. It shows a high reproductive effort, thus maintaining the populations (Wolff, 1973; Fish & Fish, 1989; Gage, 1990). The species moves freely on the sediment (Mortensen, 1927). Small invertebrates, particularly polychaetes, bivalve mollucs and crustaceans, comprise the main food of Ophiura spp. There is evidence that scavenging and surface deposit feeding are also fairly frequent (Wolff, 1973; Warner, 1982; Fish & Fish, 1989). Young stages of trematodes and nematodes can be found in the body cavity of this brittle star (Mortensen, 1927).