species: Comaster audax in Lizard Island (Gaia Guide)
Lizard Island > Marine Organisms > Marine Invertebrates > Echinodermata > Feather Stars > Comasteridae > Comaster audax (gallery)
Comaster audax


©Lyle Vail and Anne Hoggett: Comaster audax

©Lyle Vail and Anne Hoggett: Comaster audax

©Lyle Vail: Comaster audax at Snake Pit near Lizard Island showing typical colour pattern.

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Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Echinodermata
Class Crinoidea
Order Comatulida
Family Comatulidae
Genus Comaster
Species Comaster audax

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Distinguishing features

Comasterids are distinguised from all other featherstar families by having terminal segments of the oral pinnules modified to form a comb. Comasterids a also have a distinctive "feel" due to well developed hooks on most pinnules that cause them to cling like velcro.

Comaster audax is rarely found above 10 m depth and it is almost always fully exposed. It holds its numerous arms stiffly in a bush-like posture and it has a few cirri.

Colour of the underside of the arms is almost always pink/brown. Pinnule colours include white, black or brown arranged in a patchy, speckled pattern.

Size

  • Size data has not been obtained.

Depth range

  • Depth range data is not yet available.

Synonyms

Distribution


©Atlas of Living Australia: Australian distribution

Distribution and habitat preferences

Comaster audax is usually found perching on hard substrate, such as corals, hydroids and sea whips in water deeper than 10 m.

Web resources

References

  • Rowe, F.W.E., A.K. Hoggett, R.A. Birtles and L.L. Vail (1986). Revision of some comasterid general from Australia (Echinodermata: Crinoidea), with descriptions of two new genera and nine new species, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 86: 197-277. LIRS catalog number 198.