This small brittle star can be found under rocks in the subtidal zone. Like others in its genus, it can be distinguished by its long glassy spines and small spinelets on its disc. However, unlike the other commonly encountered Ophiothrix species, O. spongicola, this species has a more even coverage of spinelets on its disc, is much smaller (~1cm disc diameter), and its arm spines do not have rounded tips.
