The five-jetted body of the Ophiodea, which are living crawling on the ocean floor, is supported by a richly structured lime skeleton. Five segmented arms emanate from the pentagonal central disc of the skeleton; they are in most cases very long, flexible and armed with prickles.
Translation of the original German introduction by Ernst Haeckel:
Phylum of Echinoderma (Sterntiere); - class of Pentorchonia (Pygocincten); - subclass of Ophiodea (Schlangensterne); - order of Colophiura (Ophioctonien).
Translation by VR Translators Bangalore
This is one of the 100 pop science biology illustrations that were published from 1899 – 1904 in Leipzig by Ernst Haeckel through Verlag des Bibliographischen Instituts.