This page links to photos of shallow water (i.e., shallower than about 60m) crinoids (feather stars) we have seen in the Marshall Islands. Crinoids are common on Kwajalein reefs, although they are not as abundant as places we have been in the Philippines and Indonesia. Some can be seen only at night when they emerge to feed. Typically species have a small central disk that gives rise to five arms that usually branch, sometimes several times, to produce 10 to many long feathery arms. From the arms extend numerous branches called pinnules on each side, and between those are still finer branchlets that form a fine mesh net for extending up into passing currents to catch plankton. The arms are brittle and fragile, and the pinnules stick like velcro to just about anything that comes in contact with them, often causing the arms to break off; fortunately, they do regenerate quickly.
Anatomical details requiring examination of specimens is often necessary for species determination. All our identifications are strictly from photographs, and since many crinoid species appear to be quite variable and references to them in photo books and on the web are slim and sometimes contradictory, many of our IDs are tentative and quite a few species remain unidentified. We welcome corrections at uwkwaj@yahoo.com. Click on the thumbnails below to load pages for that species; for variable species, several different thumbnails may load the same page.
References used for identification:
Coleman
(2007)
Colin
& Arneson (1995)
Gosliner
et al (1996)
Humann
& DeLoach (2010)
Zmarzly
(1985)
Thanks to Frédéric Ducarme, who helped me identify a number of my unknowns and correct a few mistakes. However, I've made additional changes and added species, so any errors are bound to be mine.
All photos are protected by copyright. Please contact uwkwaj@yahoo.com for more information on purchase, use, or redistribution of any photos.
