Classis Crinoidea

Miller, 1821

Sea-lilies and Feather-stars

Description
Cup-shaped Echinoderms with a distinct central disc and ten feathery arms curled upwards, and numerous hooked cirri below for attachment. The mouth and ambulacral grooves are on the upper surface.

Two different types
There are two types of Crinoidea: the Sea-lilies and the Feather-stars. The Sea-lilies live permanently attached to the substratum by a stalk. This group is not found in the North Sea. The Feather Stars (or Comatulids) attach temporarily to the substratum by means of cirri arising from their lower surface.

Treated taxon:
[Order Comatulida-Feather Stars or Comatulids]
[Suborder Macrophreatina]
- Family Antedonidae

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