Echinoderm bioluminescence : Where, how and why do so many ophiuroids glow ?

Luminescence occurs in four of the five Echinoderms classes: Crinoidea, Holothuroidea, Asteroidea and Ophiuroidea. Until recently, in many cases information on echinoderm luminescence was entirely descriptive and limited to morphological and ecological observations with few additional remarks on some features of the bioluminescence. One major reason for this poor documentation of the phenomenon in echinoderms is related to the limited accessibility of species and individuals that can be studied. During the last five years, a series of field trips and participation at one deep-sea cruise allowed this author to discover and describe the luminous capabilities of numerous ophiuroids. A multidisciplinary approach allowed him to obtain physiological, morphological, ethological and finally biochemical data for certain light-producing ophiuroid species mainly because they belonged to species present from the intertidal zone down into deeper waters. This chapter attempts to summarize recent information on ophiuroid bioluminescence