Galapagos Species Database
The Galapagos Species Database shares the information about the species from our Natural History Collections.
Ophioplocus hancocki
ofiura de Hancock, Hancock spiny brittle star
Intertidal, and subtidal tide pools, under rocks or sand.
Domain
Eukaryota
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Echinodermata
Class
Ophiuroidea
Order
Amphilepidida
Suborder
Ophiurina
Family
Hemieuryalidae
Genus
Ophioplocus
Species
hancocki
Taxon category: Accepted
Origin: Endemic
Map of specimen collection localities or observation records for this species in our collections database.
Distribution: Ecuador (Galapagos Islands)
- Appeltans, W. Bouchet, P., Boxshall, G.A., Fauchald, K., Gordon, D.P., Hoeksema, B.W., Poore, G.C.B., van Soest, R.W.M., Stöhr, S., Walter, T.C., Costello, M.J. (eds.) (2010) World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS). Available online at http://www.marinespecies.org.
- Hickman, C.P. Jr. (1998) A Field Guide to Sea Stars and other Echinoderms of Galápagos. Sugar Spring Press, Lexington, Virginia, 83 pp.
- Maluf, L.Y. (1991) Echinoderm Fauna of the Galápagos Islands. In: James, M.J. (ed.): Galápagos Marine Invertebrates. Taxonomy, Biogeography, and Evolution in Darwin's Islands. Plenum Press, New York and London, p. 345-367.
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This page should be cited as follows:
"Galapagos Species Database, Ophioplocus hancocki", dataZone. Charles Darwin Foundation, https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/en/checklist/?species=9728. Accessed 1 November 2026.