Orange sea lily

Nemaster rubiginosa

ORDER

Comatulida

FAMILY

Comasteridae

TAXONOMY

Nemaster rubiginosa Portalès, 1869, off Orange Key, Bahama Bank and off Tortugas.

OTHER COMMON NAMES

None known.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Feather star with 20 (up to 35) arms 3.9–7.9 in (100–200 mm) long, bright orange with a black stripe running along dorsal side. Mouth and anal cone about equal distance from center of tegmen.

DISTRIBUTION

Western Gulf of Mexico, southeastern Florida, Bahamas, Barbados; Caribbean coast of Central and South America from Belize to Bahia, Brazil. At 3.3–1,100 ft (1–334 m) deep.

HABITAT

Lives in shallow water, frequently sheltered from current, attached on hard substratum, favors the fore-edges of reef escarpments.

BEHAVIOR

Central mass is hidden while attached to undersurfaces of hard substratum. Only arms are visible by day, but entire body may be exposed at night.

FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET

Feeds through the radial feeding posture.

REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY

Produces gametes throughout the reproductive cycle (usually spring). By spawning time, a complete range of gamete development stages exists, from recently produced oocytes to fully mature ova.

CONSERVATION STATUS

Not listed by the IUCN.

SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS

None known.