Gorgonocephalidae
{{Short description|Family of brittle stars}}
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| image = Haeckel_Ophiodea_70_Astrophyton_darwinium.jpg
| taxon = Gorgonocephalidae
| authority = Ljungman, 1867
| subdivision_ranks = Genera
| subdivision = See text
}}
Gorgonocephalidae is a family of basket stars. They have characteristic many-branched arms.
File:Basket star feeding at night at the Red Sea.JPG]]
Gorgonocephalidae are the largest ophiuroids (Gorgonocephalus eucnemis can measure up to 70 cm in arm length with a disk diameter of 14 cm).Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia, vol 1, Gale Cengage 2003
Systematics and phylogeny
The family is divided into the following genera:{{cite web |url=http://marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=123203 |title=WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Gorgonocephalidae Ljungman, 1867 |website=marinespecies.org |access-date=26 August 2014}}
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Fossil record of Gorgonocephalidae dates back to Miocene.Kroh, A. 2003. First record of gorgonocephalid ophiuroids (Echinodermata) from the Middle Miocene of the Central Paratethys. Cainozoic Research 2: 143-155
References
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Category:Taxa described in 1867
{{Ophiuroidea-stub}}