Leptometra celtica - Marine Life Encyclopedia

Leptometra celtica (M'Andrew & Barrett, 1857)

Leptometra celtica

Description: This feather star has ten pinnate arms with neatly held side branches. The cirri on the underside of the disc are long and pure white in colour. The arms may be banded in red and white or plain coloured in brown, white or red. In areas of moderate current specimens have been observed to spread their arms out into a vertical fan across the current. Antedon at the same site were not showing this behaviour. Arms typically 7-10cm in length.

Habitat: A deep water form which has recently been discovered in water as shallow as 20m in sheltered localities and sea lochs.

Distribution: In shallow water only known from the west coast of Scotland.

Similar Species: Probably frequently mistaken for Antedon bifida or Antedon petasus.

Key Identification Features:

Ten large neatly held pinnate arms.
Long white outstretched cirri of 40-50 joints.

Distribution Map: NBN map : National Biodiversity Network mapping facility, data for UK.

WoRMS: Species record : World Register of Marine Species.

iNaturalist: Species account : iNaturalist World Species Observations database

Picton, B.E. & Morrow, C.C. (2016). Leptometra celtica (M'Andrew & Barrett, 1857). [In] Encyclopedia of Marine Life of Britain and Ireland.
https://www.habitas.org.uk/marinelife/species.asp?item=ZB220 Accessed on 2024-09-17

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