Elegant feather star

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

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)
Synonyms
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

Description

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.

The cirri of the elegant feather star

Distribution

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.

Ecology

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.