Crinoidea
Taxonavigation
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Introduction
These animals, typically called Feather Stars or Crinoids, are very delicate, difficult to identify, and do poorly in captivity. They feed by filtering plankton from the water and in the wild will be found in regions exposed to the current. The location they are seen predominately in the wild is perched on top of gorgonians, sea fans and some corals. They can be very colourful, making them a very tempting addition to a marine aquarium. However, this is not a good idea as it is a difficult challenge to provide them the correct food and they will waste away and die within a short period of time.
Characteristics
They have five arms (which are typically branched and pinnate) that rise from a small centra cup (theca) with a thin veneer of tissue over the calcareous plates. Both mouth and anus open on the top surface of the theca with cirri projecting from below to grip the substrate. The tentacles present along the arms gather plankton from the water and transport it down the arms to the mouth.
Classification
The class Crinoidea has only one surviving order:
Gallery
Resources
- Echinoderms in Aquaria… by Ronald Shimek - Reefkeeping Magazine
- Feather Stars by Rob Toonen - Reefs.org
- Crinoidea - Tree of Life
- Introduction to the Crinoidea
- wikipedia:Crinoidea
