Warty Sea Star
Now this is a cool looking sea star!
Of course the questions start racing through the head -
What are the warts?
What purpose do they serve, if any?
Why are some distended from the body and others not?
Do the warts have pedicellariae ?
Chris?!?!
Help!!
3 comments:
that's the ophidiasterid Nardoa (some would say Gomophia). Not sure which species..the genus forms a species complex throughout the Indo-Pacific.
The warts (called tubercles) are just part of the surface body wall texture. No apparent purpose other that they are part of its body wall...Pedicellariae may or may not be present in this species..they vary.
Not sure if that's because they're common in summer or because of their festive appearance.
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Jenifer
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