This large brittle star is found under rocks and in a variety of colours. It often has spots or ocelli on the disc, but it can also be unpatterned. Its long arms have very short spines but its most distinctive feature is its velvety disc. It is one of the few brittle stars that has a kind of skin over its disc, covered in small papillae, which distinguishes it from similar species such as Ophiactis assimilis, and Ophiarachnella ramsayi with its visible radial shields.
