About Comanthus wahlbergii (Müller, 1843)
Comanthus is a genus of crinoid echinoderms, commonly called feather stars, that belongs to the family Comatulidae. All species in this genus are distributed across the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean. Recognized species in the genus include: Comanthus briareus (Bell, 1882); Comanthus delicata (AH Clark, 1909); Comanthus gisleni Rowe, Hoggett, Birtles & Vail, 1986; Comanthus imbricatus (AH Clark, 1908); Comanthus kumi Fujita & Obuchi, 2012; Comanthus novaezealandiae AH Clark, 1931; Comanthus parvicirrus (Müller, 1841); Comanthus scintillus Obuchi & Fujita, 2017; Comanthus suavia Rowe, Hoggett, Birtles & Vail, 1986; Comanthus taviana (AH Clark, 1911); Comanthus wahlbergii (Müller, 1843); and Comanthus weberi (AH Clark, 1912). Comanthus wahlbergii is also called the common feather star. It has been recorded from False Bay to Mozambique, and at Vema seamount in the South Atlantic. It occurs from the intertidal zone down to 47 meters deep. It typically has 10 to 22 blunt-tipped arms, and shows variable colouration, sometimes with variegated patterning. For this species, the mouth is offset and the anus is positioned centrally.
