Description:
The blood brittle star, Hemipholis elongata, reaches a maximum size of 0.4 inches disk diameter, with arm approximately 3.5 inches;  however, most individuals observed are typically smaller.  The disk surface is covered with scales, with pear-shaped radial shields.  Body color is brown, tan, or gray, with blue, green, and sometimes yellow markings.  The arms are generally the same base color as the disk, but may be irregularly banded in darker colors.  There are no scales on the ventral surface of the disk.  The dark color of the stomach often shows through the thin wall of the disk, lending it a brown coloration.  The tube feet are red in color due to the presence of hemoglobin in the water vascular system.

Habitat:
Blood brittle stars are found in a variety of habitats where wave energy is low.  They are typically found buried in the mud or sands of protected embayments, oyster reefs, poorly oxygenated, unvegetated sediments, and fringing sand flats surrounding coral reefs. 

Similar Species:
A similar brittle star, Ophiactis rubropoda, also has hemoglobin in its water vascular system, and thus has red tube feet.  However, it is easily distinguished from the blood brittle star because it has 6 arms, not 5 as is found in the blood brittle star.  In addition, O. rubropoda tends to live on the surface of sediments rather than burying itself in them.

Range:  
Blood brittle stars range from South Carolina and Georgia through Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, Cuba, Panama, and south to Brazil.