Alloeocomatella polycladia
©Anne Hoggett: Alloeocomatella polycladia from under rubble near base of reef slope on northern side of Lizard Island. This specimen has at least 15 arms.
©Anne Hoggett: Long combed pinnules of Alloeocomatella polycladiaFrom under rubble near base of reef slope on northern side of Lizard Island; specimen has at least 15 arms and has lost its visceral mass.
©Anne Hoggett: Cirri of Alloeocomatella polycladia. From under rubble near base of reef slope on northern side of Lizard Island; specimen has at least 15 arms.
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Echinodermata
Class
Crinoidea
Order
Comatulida
Family
Comatulidae
Genus
Alloeocomatella
Species
Alloeocomatella polycladia
Colours
Distinguishing features
From Messing (1995): Up to 30 arms up to about 20 cm long, always held in a single plane (not twisted). A large, thick centrodorsal conceals radial plates in large specimens. Up to 70 cirri in large specimens. Anal area of disc with many crowded nodules but not on the anal cone. Like Aloeocomatella pecinifera, this species feels slippery rather than the usual clingy feel of other Comatulidae. Was often identified as Comatella maculata in the past.
Size
- Size data has not been obtained.
Depth range
- Depth range data is not yet available.
Synonyms
Distribution
©Atlas of Living Australia: Australian distribution
Web resources
References
References that assist with identification
- Messing, C.G. (1995). Alloeocomatella, a new genus of reef-dwelling feather star from the tropical Indo-west Pacific (Echinodermata: Crinoidea: Comasteridae), Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, 108(3): 436-450. LIRS catalog number 436.
Other references
- Summers, M. M., C.G. Messing and G.W. Rouse (2014). Phylogeny of Comatulidae (Echinodermata: Crinoidea: Comatulida): A new classification and an assessment of morphological characters for crinoid taxonomy, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 80: 319-339. LIRS catalog number 1813.