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Family: Ophiodermatidae
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Bocas Species Database Habitat: All reef zones. Distribution: Caribbean, Texas off-shore reefs. Natural History Notes: The body size of individuals varies with respect to the type of subtrates, decreasing from rubble, to coral, to algae. Juveniles can reach high densities, sometimes exceeding 100 individuals per liter in algae. O. rubicundum remains hidden during the day, but moves into the open at night. Predators include a wrasse, a pufferfish, and a trunkfish. In Panama, the timing of spawning varies among populations and occurs between September and November. It may have a yolky, nonfeeding larva. Depth: 1-31 m Characteristics: A large individual grows to 23 mm in disk diameter, with arms 135 mm long. Rounded granules cover the disk, but the radial shields are usually bare. The arm tip is thin and tapered, nearly as high as broad. The arm spines are small and adpressed. The lowest arm spine is much broader and longer than the dorsal spines, almost touching the tentacle scale of the adjacent arm joint in large individuals. The species is usually reddish with variegated black, gray, and brown. Arms have mottled bands and ventral interradii are two-toned with a whitish proximal region and a reddish periphery. |
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