Kingdom Animalia Class Crinoidea Family Comasteridae Rank Species | Phylum Echinodermata Order Comatulida Genus Comaster | |
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Similar Comanthus alternans, Comaster schlegelii, Comasteridae, Cenometra bella, Oxycomanthus bennetti | ||
Comaster nobilis, the noble/yellow feather star, is a crinoid in the family Comasteridae. It was previously classified as Comanthina nobilis but further research showed that it was better placed in the genus Comaster.
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Description
Comaster nobilis can reach a diameter of about 40 cm. It has a cup-shaped body with 35-40 arms, extended out from the central disc. This species may occur in a number of colour variations. Usually it has yellow arms, sometimes with some black or green and white on the under surface close to the centre. It feeds on detritus, fitoplancton and zooplancton. The larvae of this feather star swim freely with plankton for a few weeks, then they settle down growing into a stalked form. Mature specimen break the stalk becoming free-living.
Distribution
This species is widespread in the Indo-Pacific, from Coral Sea and Great Barrier Reef up to Indonesia, Malaysia, New Caledonia and Philippines.
Habitat
It is found on hard or soft corals in shallow water reefs, at a depth of 10 – 50 m.