Colours
Distinguishing features
Antedonids are small crinoids with ten very flexible arms up to about 60 mm long, usually found under slabs of rubble. Only two species are known from Lizard Island, Dorometra parvicirra and Dorometra nana.
Dorometra is distinguished from other antedonid genera by having cirrus segments that are flared at their distal ends, overlapping the next segment. Both species of Dorometra known from the Lizard Island area have about 40 delicate cirri. They are distinguished from each other by the relative sizes of the oral pinnules. In Dorometra nana, the first two pinnules on the outer side of each arm are about the same length and the third is much longer. This character is not useful in the field because it needs microscopic examination.
Size
- Up to 6 cm (Arm length)
- Up to 6 cm (Arm length)
Depth range
- Depth range data is not yet available.
Synonyms
Similar taxa
-
Animalia:
species: Dorometra parvicirra
- the second external oral pinnule is intermediate in size between the first and the third (Clark and Rowe, 1971).
Comments
Arm number, size, habitat, posture, and cirri indicate Dorometra but proximal pinnules are not visible in the photo to distinguish the species.
by Anne Hoggett
Distribution
©Atlas of Living Australia: Australian distribution
Distribution and habitat preferences
Always fully concealed. Messing (2006) records both species of Dorometra as part of an unusual soft-bottom fauna in 12 to 17 m depth off Osprey Island.
Web resources
References
References that assist with identification
- Clark, A.M. and F.W.E. Rowe (1971). Monograph of shallow-water Indo-west Pacific echinoderms British Museum (Natural History), London.
Other references
- Messing, C.G., D.L. Meyer, U.E. Siebeck, L.S. Jermiin, D.I. Vaney and G.W. Rouse (2006). A modern soft-bottom, shallow-water crinoid fauna (Echinodermata) from the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, Coral Reefs, 25: 164-168. LIRS catalog number 956.