TOKYO — Off the coast of Japan, a colorful 10-armed sea creature tucked itself under a rock and waited. But its hiding place wouldn’t last long.
Divers flipped over the stone and spotted the unique animal. It turned out to be a new species.
Researchers spent over a decade surveying marine life off the coast of several islands in southern Japan, according to a study published August 23 in the peer-reviewed journal J-STAGE. The effort involved scuba diving and dredging work.
A Nesometra integra, or complete feather star, in preservation. (Photo from Pratama, Virgili, Reimer and Fujita 2024)
Looking at their catch, researchers encountered several unfamiliar-looking feather stars, the study said. They took a closer look at these invertebrate animals and soon realized they’d discovered a new species: Nesometra integra, or the complete feather star.
Complete feather stars are considered “small-sized,” the study said. They have a small central body with 10 arms coming out of it, each measuring up to 1.6 inches in length. Smaller segments grow off each arm.
Overall, the new species looks almost like a pine tree branch, a photo shows.
Complete feather stars vary in color but generally have two main patterns: “solid” or “dotted,” the study said. The solid-colored animals have a uniform hue, ranging from purple to light brown to dark red. The dotted animals have a pale coloring covered in darker brown spots.
By ASPEN PFLUGHOEFT/Miami Herald
