Banded Serpent Star

Ophiolepis superba, the banded serpent star, is a nocturnal Indo-Pacific brittle star known for the alternating brown-and-tan stripes on its five slender arms. It hides in rockwork by day and emerges at night to sift detritus and biofilm, needing no supplemental feeding once established. Unlike its larger green relative Ophiarachna incrassata, it is not documented as an active fish hunter — at most it may inadvertently snag a very small shrimp or fry while foraging. It leaves coral tissue alone and is widely rated as one of the safer brittle stars for a mixed reef.