Crinoid species belonging to the Tropiometridae family include the Tropiometra carinata (elegant feather star).
Description
Elegant feather stars can reach a maximum length of 20 cm. They occasionally have a yellow and brown variegation and range in tint from yellow to brown. They have 10 long arms that taper to a tip and have ciliated side branches on them. Each arm has 20–30 cirri.
Distribution
These animals can be found all across the tropics, including off the coast of South Africa from the Cape Peninsula to Mozambique. They are visible at low tide and down to at least 51 metres of water.
Ecology
On shallow reefs, beautiful feather stars are typically isolated; on deeper reefs, they are more common. They can swim by using their arms if they get lost. The specimens discovered in False Bay contain commensal creatures like the crinoid prawn Hippolyte catagrapha and the myzostomid worm Myzostoma fuscomaculatum.
As Pet
Diet
These feather stars consume tiny particles and drifting animals.
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