| Main Ref. | Ruppert, E.E., R.S. Fox and R.D. Barnes, 2004 |
| Mode | |
| Fertilization | external |
| Spawning Frequency | |
| Batch Spawner | No |
| Reproductive Guild | |
| Description of life cycle and mating behavior | Members of the class Ophiuroidea are mostly gonochoric, others are protandric. Fertilization is external. Brooding is common, bursae is used as brood chambers where the embryos develop into juveniles and later crawl out from the bursal slits. Life cycle: Embryos hatch into free-swimming planktotrophic larvae and later metamorphose into tiny brittle stars which sink down the bottom where they grow into adult form. |
| Search for more references on reproduction | Scirus |