A closer at the knobbly sea stars of Cyrene reveals that the knobs are actually purplish to brown. In the photos you can also see the madreporite, which is a dark porous spot that acts as a sieve to regulate the movement of water in and out of the animal's vascular system.
The sea stars on the reef also display much morphological variability. Some are dumpy like cartoon characters, others are sleek and sharp with hotrod colours. The circle of knobs on the central disc and ridge of the arms range from well-spaced evil looking 'thorns' to limp toppings on a poorly-baked cookie. Small teacup sized animals are cute and squat, while somewhat larger specimens seem to be suffering from the gawky trauma of adolescence. The drab star above looks a bit different from the rest though, with a well-define pentagonal line on its aboral surface.
Maybe we'll find knobbly brittle stars too one day! Or wilder, hydra-like monsters resembling 'shaggy rugs covered with bear traps'...
Comments