Feather Star
Lamprometra klunzingeri
Feather stars are crinoids of the order Comatulida, which as adults mostly lack a stalk. The mouth sits on the upward-facing oral surface, ringed by five often-branched arms lined with feathery pinnules. They live on the seabed and on reefs in tropical and temperate waters.
Family
Mariametridae
Avg Size
15-25 cm
Habitat
Built largely of calcium carbonate, comatulids are unpalatable to most predators. A few fish nibble on them, typically taking a single arm or the visceral mass, both of which regrow. One survey found 47% of specimens missing or regenerating arms, suggesting that sub-lethal predation is fairly low, and many predators may actually be after the small commensal invertebrates that live among the arms.
Behaviour
Many feather stars tuck themselves into crevices, beneath corals, or inside sponges, with only some arms showing. Some emerge at night to perch on high points and feed, and a number can creep across the seabed or even swim by waving their arms, though most stay largely sedentary near their chosen hiding place. As suspension feeders, they spread their arms across the current to maximise their feeding surface; trios of suckerless tube feet sit at each joint of the pinnules, the longest reaching out to gather plankton from the passing water.
