---
title: "Ophiothrix (Ophiothrix) spiculata"
description: "Ophiothrix spiculata — Autres animaux. Ophiothrix spiculata, the western spiny brittle star, is a species of marine invertebrate in the order Ophiurida."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/fr/animal/western-spiny-brittle-star
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Ophiothrix (Ophiothrix) spiculata

> Ophiothrix spiculata — Autres animaux. Ophiothrix spiculata, the western spiny brittle star, is a species of marine invertebrate in the order Ophiurida.

- Scientific name: *Ophiothrix spiculata*
- Category: `other` (Autres animaux)
- Habitats: `sea` (Mer et côte)
- iNaturalist observations: 4477
- Wikidata: [Q2664389](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2664389)
- iNaturalist taxon: [48835](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/48835)

## Names

- en: Western Spiny Brittle Star
- es: Estrella quebradiza espinosa del occidente
- fr: Ophiothrix (Ophiothrix) spiculata
- it: Ophiothrix (Ophiothrix) spiculata

## Countries with the most observations

US (3639), MX (80)

## Summary

Ophiothrix spiculata, the western spiny brittle star, is a species of marine invertebrate in the order Ophiurida. It is found along the Pacific coast of North and South America from below the San Francisco Bay to Peru. Individuals come in a variety of colors, although usually with orange longitudinal stripes on the arms, and the body can measure up to 2 cm across. This species was first described by J. L. Le Conte in 1851.

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophiothrix_spiculata

## Photo

![Ophiothrix (Ophiothrix) spiculata](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/western-spiny-brittle-star/medium.jpg)

Photo: Alex Heyman · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/340531943

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/western-spiny-brittle-star?lang=fr` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).