| Aporometra wilsoni | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Echinodermata |
| Class: | Crinoidea |
| Order: | Comatulida |
| Family: | Aporometridae |
| Genus: | Aporometra |
| Species: | A. wilsoni |
| Binomial name | |
| Aporometra wilsoni | |
| Synonyms[3] | |
| |
Aporometra wilsoni is amarine invertebrate, aspecies ofcrinoid or feather star in thefamilyAporometridae. It is found in shallow water around the coasts of southern Australia.
This is a small species ofcrinoid with arms up to 3 cm (1.2 in) long. The five arms each divide close to the base giving ten arms in total, with feather-likepinnules fanning out on either side. There are also up to 25 unusualcirri with flattened undersides which may be longer than the arms. Both thegonads, and the chambers in which thelarvae arebrooded, are located on the pinnules in this species.[4]
Thiscrinoid is native to the southern coasts of Australia. Its range extends from Elizabeth Reef,Perth, Western Australia, toGabo Island, Victoria, at depths down to about 18 m (60 ft).[3]
Aporometra wilsoni is found living in close association with brown algae such asCystophora andSargassum.[4]
Crinoids are dioecious, with separate male and female individuals. They do not have true gonads, instead producing gametes from genital canals found inside some of the pinnules. In most species, the sperm and eggs are released into thewater column when the pinnules rupture.[5] However,A. wilsoni retains the embryos in cavities in the pinnules and brood the larvae as they develop. They are not released until thedoliolaria larvae have lost theircilia and undergonemetamorphosis, developing a stalk and holdfast. They fall to the seabed and immediately attach to thesubstrate, the mouth at the centre of the oral surface opens, the firsttube feet emerge and they start to feed.[4] The stem is later shed and the juvenile becomes free-living.[5]
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Media related toAporometra wilsoni at Wikimedia Commons