| Elegant feather star | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Echinodermata |
| Class: | Crinoidea |
| Order: | Comatulida |
| Family: | Tropiometridae |
| Genus: | Tropiometra |
| Species: | T. carinata |
| Binomial name | |
| Tropiometra carinata (Lamarck, 1816) | |
The elegant feather star (Tropiometra carinata) is a species of crinoid in the family Tropiometridae. [1]
Elegant feather stars may grow to 20 cm in total length. They are variably coloured in yellow to brown and are occasionally variegated in yellow and brown. They have ten long arms with ciliated side branches that taper to a point. They have 20-30 cirri per arm. [2]
These animals are found off the South African coast from the Cape Peninsula to Mozambique as well as circumtropically. They are seen subtidally and down to at least 51m underwater. [2]
Elegant feather stars are usually found singly on shallow reefs and are more abundant on deeper reefs. If displaced they may swim using their arms. Commensal organisms such as the myzostomid worm Myzostoma fuscomaculatum (shown in main image) and the crinoid shrimp Hippolyte catagrapha are found on the specimens found in False Bay. [2]
According to the World Register of Marine Species, the following species are synonyms of Tropiometra carinata: [1]
Crinoids are marine invertebrates that make up the class Crinoidea. Crinoids that are attached to the sea bottom by a stalk in their juvenile form are commonly called sea lilies, while the unstalked forms, called feather stars or comatulids, are members of the largest crinoid order, Comatulida. Crinoids are echinoderms in the phylum Echinodermata, which also includes the starfish, brittle stars, sea urchins and sea cucumbers. They live in both shallow water and in depths as great as 9,000 meters (30,000 ft).
Articulata are a subclass or superorder within the class Crinoidea, including all living crinoid species. They are commonly known as sea lilies or feather stars. The Articulata are differentiated from the extinct subclasses by their lack of an anal plate in the adult stage and the presence of an entoneural system. Articulata first appeared in the fossil record during the Triassic period although other, now extinct crinoid groups, originated in the Ordovician.
Comasteridae is a family of crinoids.
Antedonidae is a family of crinoids or feather stars in the phylum Echinodermata. Members of the family are unstalked and have ten feathery arms. They can move about freely and have clawed cirri to attach them temporarily to structures.
Antedon is a genus of sessile, stemless crinoids. The genus first appeared in the fossil record in the Cretaceous period.
Charitometridae is a family of crinoids or feather stars in the phylum Echinodermata.
Davidaster rubiginosus, the orange sea lily, is a species of crinoid in the family Comatulidae. At one time it was classified as Nemaster rubiginosa but the World Register of Marine Species has determined that the valid name is Davidaster rubiginosus. It is found on reefs in the tropical western Atlantic and the Caribbean Sea.
Comaster schlegelii, the variable bushy feather star, is a crinoid in the family Comatulidae. It was previously classified as Comanthina schlegeli but further research showed that it was better placed in the genus Comaster. It is found on shallow water reefs in the western Pacific Ocean.
Antedon mediterranea is a species of stalkless crinoid in the family Antedonidae, commonly known as the Mediterranean feather star. It is found on the seabed at moderate depths in the Mediterranean Sea. It is a filter feeder and captures plankton with its long feathery arms.
Myzostoma fuscomaculatum, the crinoid worm, is a species of marine worm in the family Myzostomatidae.
Tropiometra is a genus of crinoids in the monotypic family Tropiometridae.
The crinoid shrimp, or feather star shrimpHippolyte catagrapha, is a species of shrimp in the family Hippolytidae
Comatulidae is a family of comatulid crinoids. Since 2015, it replaces the family Comasteridae.
Colobometridae is a family of crinoids belonging to the order Comatulida. Members of this order are known as feather stars.
Comanthus is a genus of crinoid echinoderms belonging to the family Comatulidae.
Comatula solaris is a species of the family comatulidae. It is a member of the class crinoidea, commonly known as the feather star.
