54 — Armless stars, Brisinga sp.

Brisingid starfish, Challenger Plateau,
TAN0707, 29/5/07.

These are a kind of deep-sea sea star, which belong to the order: Brisingida. They get their common name from their fragility: they tend to come up in trawls with all their arms missing.

Brisigids are found throughout the world and there are quite a few species. They are unusual, as they have a body plan adapted for suspension-feeding (catching small particles of food out of the passing water). In life they look a bit like the skeleton of an umbrella without the handle. They can be really common on the tops of undersea ridges or on seamounts; any habitat where there is plenty of water flow to bring them food.

Brisingid starfish, Challenger Plateau,
TAN0707, 29/5/07.

The pictures are of a New Zealand species from about 600m depth on Challenger Plateau west of New Zealand; it might be in the genus Brisinga.









More info:

http://echinoblog.blogspot.co.nz/

https://docs.niwa.co.nz/library/public/NIWAbm120.pdf

https://www.niwa.co.nz/coasts-and-oceans/tools-and-resources/Echinoderm%20ID%20Guide