Gorgonocephalidae

Gorgonocephalus eucnemis

The Gorgons or Medusenhäupter ( Gorgonocephalidae ) are to catch plankton specialized brittle stars ( Ophiuroidea ), whose arms are highly branched. They are thus similar to something the hair stars ( Comatulida ), with which they are but not closely related. Gorgons are nocturnal, then usually sit on sea fans, sponges, stony corals, soft or fire coral and stretch out her arms to the flow. The filtered plankton is held in place with small hooks. From time to time, the arms are bent and inserted into the mouth. During the day they hide in Hide and contract into a disorganized tangle of arms.

Medusenhäupter live in all oceans of the world, including in coral reefs and with the genus Gorgonocephalus also in the North Atlantic and on the coast of Northern Europe. Astrospartus arborescens lives in the Mediterranean.

Large Gorgons may have a diameter of 1.5 meters, with arm lengths of 70 inches. Many species are very colorful and can be white, yellow, orange, be blue or purple. Also, striped or spotted drawings occur.

They are even inhabited by a variety of other invertebrates such as shrimp partner, bang crabs, copepods, amphipods, mollusks, bristle worms and other brittle stars.

Genera

• Asteroporpa Oersted & Lütken, 1856
• Astrochele Verrill, 1878
• Astrocnida
• Astrocyclus Döderlein, 1911
• Astrophyton Fleming, 1828
• Astrothamnus
• Conocladus H. L. Clark, 1909
• Gorgonocephalus Leach, 1815