About Comaster schlegelii (Carpenter, 1881)
The variable bushy feather star, Comaster schlegelii, often conceals its body inside a crevice, especially when young, so only its array of arms is visible. Five rays attach to the upper part of its body, and each of these divides further into multiple arms. If one arm is lost, two new arms grow in its place. The arms are flexible, made of many small jointed calcareous plates called ossicles, and can be coiled. Short side branches called pinnules grow on either side of each arm. On the underside of the body, there are around twenty claw-like appendages called cirri, which the crinoid uses to cling to the underlying surface. Older individuals lose these cirri, and attach directly using their underarms instead. This species has highly variable coloration: some individuals are solid golden yellow, pale brown, or black, while others are multicolored, often green with orange, white, and black bands on the arms and pinnules.
This feather star occurs in shallow waters of the Indo-Pacific region. Its documented range includes Indonesia, Fiji, Japan, the Maldives, and Papua New Guinea. It is most commonly found on reef crests, at depths down to approximately 5 metres (16 ft).
