Living Comatulids

Abstract

Comatulid crinoids, or featherstars, are the dominant group of living crinoids and occur in a wide range of modern marine environments from the intertidal zone to the abyss. This chapter outlines current understanding of comatulid classification, distribution, feeding ecology, diets, predation, and taphonomy. A detailed introduction to morphological features, terms and associated symbology is given together with a discussion of practical aspects of working with specimens and the difficulties associated with species identifications. An artificial key to the families of comatulids is included.