VU

Ophiura robusta

Local name: mindre fransormstjärna

Unknown

Overview

A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.

Ophiura robusta faces significant pressure from bottom trawling and dredging activities that physically damage its seafloor habitat and directly remove individuals from populations. Climate change poses an additional threat through ocean acidification, which affects the species' ability to maintain its calcium carbonate skeleton, and rising sea temperatures that may alter the distribution of suitable habitat. Pollution from coastal development and shipping activities further degrades the marine environment this brittle star depends upon.

Threat summary

Habitat

This brittle star inhabits soft sediment bottoms in marine environments, typically found on sandy and muddy substrates in coastal and shelf waters. The species occurs in areas with moderate water depths where it can burrow into or move across the seafloor sediments.

MARINE· major

Threatened in Antarctica

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Chilean Flamingo

Phoenicopterus chilensis

Unknown
steppesvovellavCR

steppesvovellav

Gyalolechia desertorum

Unknown
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Tall Sea Pen

Funiculina quadrangularis

Unknown
VU

Champsocephalus esox

Declining

Frequently asked questions

Why is mindre fransormstjärna classified as Vulnerable?
mindre fransormstjärna is classified as Vulnerable because the population is declining and the species faces a high risk of extinction in the medium-term future if current pressures continue. Ophiura robusta faces significant pressure from bottom trawling and dredging activities that physically damage its seafloor habitat and directly remove individuals from populations. Climate change poses an additional threat through ocean acidification, which affects the species' ability to maintain its calcium carbonate skeleton, and rising sea temperatures that may alter the distribution of suitable habitat. Pollution from coastal development and shipping activities further degrades the marine environment this brittle star depends upon.
Where does mindre fransormstjärna live?
mindre fransormstjärna occurs in Antarctica, Canada, Denmark, France, Greenland, and Iceland (plus 9 other countries). Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.
What are the main threats to mindre fransormstjärna?
The main threats to mindre fransormstjärna are ai-1, ai-2, ai-3, and ai-4. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

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