It is the type species of the genus Ophiocoma and is found in the tropical west Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.

[2] Ophiocoma echinata is native to the tropical west Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.

[3] Reproduction takes place over a prolonged breeding season with gametes being shed directly into the sea without any synchronisation.

[3] Despite having no brain and only having a simple, ring-shaped nervous system, O. echinata is able to adopt a coordinated pattern of locomotion in which one arm leads the way and the others act in synchrony to propel it forward.

Although energy must be diverted to effect the repair and regrowth, the individual should still be able to breed at some time in the future, and the missing arm contributes a renewable resource to the productivity of the reef.