Notocrinidae
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Notocrinidae is a
monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...
family of
crinoid Crinoids are marine animals that make up the class Crinoidea. Crinoids that are attached to the sea bottom by a stalk in their adult form are commonly called sea lilies, while the unstalked forms are called feather stars or comatulids, which are ...
s, the only genus being ''Notocrinus'', which contains two species, both
endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...
to the seas around Antarctica.


Description

Members of this family have five arms which subdivide near the base giving them ten arms in total. The arms can reach in length, and there are thirty to sixty or more
cirri Giovanni Battista Cirri (1 October 1724 – 11 June 1808) was an Italian cellist and composer in the 18th century. Biography Cirri was born in Forlì in the Emilia-Romagna Region of Italy. He had his first musical training with his brother ...
. The gonads are located on the arms, and the embryos are brooded in cavities in the arms. The aboral surface (underside) of the disc has five deep radial pits arranged in a star-shape.


Species

The
World Register of Marine Species The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) is a taxonomic database that aims to provide an authoritative and comprehensive list of names of marine organisms. Content The content of the registry is edited and maintained by scientific specialis ...
lists the following species in this genus: * '' Notocrinus mortenseni'' John, 1938 * '' Notocrinus virilis'' Mortensen, 1917


References

Comatulida Crinoid genera {{crinoidea-stub