"Brittle stars" refers to a group of marine animals that have long, flexible arms that can break off easily if threatened. They are related to starfish but have a round disk-shaped body and usually five arms. Full definition
Notable among them is a shot of brittle stars webbed across the sea floor. (newscientist.com)
This thin sliver of ocean reaching under the ice turned out to be 10 meters deep, and the camera came to rest on the bottom beneath it, revealing it to be muddy and strewn with pebbles — a flat, barren tract, devoid of any obvious signs of large marine life such as brittle stars, sponges or worms. (scientificamerican.com)
Glass sponges provide habitat for feather and brittle stars in frigid Antarctic waters. (sciencenews.org)