ABSTRACT
This analysis of ophiuroid distribution is based on 3,980 specimens representing 33 species from the Belize Barrier Reef. Samples were collected from 4 reef zones: Back Reef (0.5m depth), Reef Crest (lm), Spur and Groove (5m), and Fore Reef Ridge (15m). In each zone, ophiuroids were isolated from quantitative samples of the calcareous alga (Halimeda opuntia), lettuce coral (Agaricia tenuifolia), finger coral (Pontes pontes and Madracis mirabilis), and from beneath pieces of coral rubble. The sizes (mean disc diameter) of 10 of 18 species varied significantly between reef zones. In contrast, the larger specimens of Ophioderma rubicundum were sampled in the deeper zones. There was an apparent tendency for smaller ophiuroids to occur in Halimeda than in coral substrata, and in the cases where multiple range tests were possible this trend was borne out. Notably, for all 7 broadcast spawning species tested there usually was a significant relationship between body size and the type of substratum sampled.
