feather star / Federstern (Haarstern)

(Stephanometra sp.)

feather star - Federstern

I always thought, a feather star is like any other feather star. But when I looked into my books I realized, there are several different species. This is a Prickly feather star (Stephanometra echinus). Look here for more photos of feather stars.

Take a good look. Sometimes there are symbiotic shrimps, squat lobsters or clingfish inside the stars. And if you are lucky, there might be a ghostpipefish living very close by.

Elegant squat lobster - Allogalathea elegans - Federstern-Springkrebs ca. 5mm

Pulau Lima Redang, east coast Malaysia, 20.7.99

Taken with a Sea and Sea Motomarine II EX , 1:2 lens, F 22


. Copyright Teresa Zubi