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Elegant feather star

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(Redirected from Tropiometra carinata)

Elegant feather star
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Echinodermata
Class: Crinoidea
Order: Comatulida
Family: Tropiometridae
Genus: Tropiometra
Species:
T. carinata
Binomial name
Tropiometra carinata
(Lamarck, 1816)
Synonyms[1]
List
  • Antedon brasiliensis
    Carpenter, 1879
  • Antedon capensis
    Bell, 1905
  • Antedon carinata
    Lamarck, 1816
  • Comatula carinata
    Lamarck, 1816 (basionym)
  • Comatula picta
    Gay, 1854
  • Tropiometra audouini
    AH Clark, 1911
  • Tropiometra carinata audouini
    AH Clark, 1911
  • Tropiometra carinata carinata
    Lamarck, 1816
  • Tropiometra carinata clarki
    Gislén, 1938
  • Tropiometra carinata indica
    AH Clark, 1912
  • Tropiometra clarki
    Gislén, 1938
  • Tropiometra encrinus
    AH Clark, 1911
  • Tropiometra indica
    AH Clark, 1912
  • Tropiometra picta
    Gay, 1854

The elegant feather star (Tropiometra carinata) is a species of crinoid in the family Tropiometridae.[1]

Description

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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]

The cirri of the elegant feather star

Distribution

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These animals are found off the South African coast from the Cape Peninsula to Mozambique as well as circumtropically. They are seen subtidally, up to at least 51 metres (167 ft) deep.[2]

Ecology

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Myzostoma fuscomaculatum on the arms of T. carinata

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 and the crinoid shrimp Hippolyte catagrapha are found on the specimens found in False Bay.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Tropiometra carinata (Lamarck, 1816)". marinespecies.org. Retrieved 17 September 2013.
  2. ^ a b c Branch, G.M., Branch, M.L, Griffiths, C.L. and Beckley, L.E. 2010. Two Oceans: a guide to the marine life of southern Africa ISBN 978-1-77007-772-0