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Macrophiothrix longipeda

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Adult, Rarotonga	46KB
Image:	Close-up of central disc (ventral view)	51KB
Image:	Close-up of central disc (dorsal view)	40KB

General Information

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE e.Africa - Fiji - Tuamotu

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; Marine, near-shore

KEY FEATURES: Very large, to 120cm Total Diameter, but greatly entangled. Disc 30mm, arms 9- >20x disc diam. (to 60cm). The disc is pale with blotches of blue and yellow and black spots. The arms are banded brown and dark blue, with black spots surrounded by yellow rings. Ventrally the disc is brown, while the arms have brown and blue bands.

Enlarged Image of 'Macrophiothrix longipeda'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea:
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
P	P				+

Northern Group:
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

Macrophiothrix longipeda (Lamarck, 1816)
SYNONYMS: Ophiura longipeda; Ophiothrix longipeda

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; ECHINODERMATA; ELEUTHEROZOA; STELLEROIDEA; OPHIUROIDEA; Ophiuroida; OPHIOTRICHIDAE

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
None Recorded.

References:
None recorded.

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zD02

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
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