Beautiful Feather Star

Cenometra bella

Other invertebrates
IUCN: Not evaluated

Usual depth13–51 m
Water temperature24–29 °C
Best monthsAugust, September, and December
How commonRare

Photo credit: (c) Debra Baker, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist

About this species

Cenometra bella is a species of crinoids belonging to the genus Cenometra. They can have up to 30 arms and can be of variable colours but are often characterised by a marked contrast between the extending free-arms and the feathery pinnules. This species clings to its support and moves around by its feet-like cirri.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Cenometra bella”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

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Best months

Worldwide (open data)

January: 33 records
February: 43 records
March: 38 records
April: 44 records
May: 32 records
June: 24 records
July: 22 records
August: 45 records
September: 48 records
October: 32 records
November: 40 records
December: 50 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 13–51 m · Deepest record: 98 m

0–10 m: 2 records
10–20 m: 29 records
20–30 m: 4 records
30–40 m: 5 records
40–50 m: 3 records
50–60 m: 7 records
60–70 m: 0 records
70–80 m: 0 records
80–90 m: 0 records
90–100 m: 1 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 24–29 °C

24–26 °C: 4 records
26–28 °C: 28 records
28–30 °C: 45 records

Photos

(c) Thibaud Aronson, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist
(c) Debra Baker, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
no rights reserved · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist
(c) Pauline Walsh Jacobson, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
(c) Georgina Jones, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist
(c) Georgina Jones, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist
(c) cello caruso-turiello, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist

Names and classification

English: Beautiful Feather Star

Names in 3 more languages

French: Comatule splendide
Japanese: Kosaju-umishida
Simplified Chinese: 華麗散羽枝

Other scientific names: Antedon abbotti, Antedon bella, Cenometra abbotti, Cenometra brunnea, Cenometra cornuta, Cenometra delicata, Cenometra herdmani, Cenometra insueta, Cenometra unicornis, Himerometra abbotti, Himerometra bella, Himerometra unicornis

Similar species

Spinose Feather Star
Colobometra perspinosa
Austrometra thetidis
Boschma's Feather Star
Basilometra boschmai
Colobometra discolor
Cyllometra manca
Decametra informis

Sources and credits

Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).

Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
174 open-data records from 1908 to 2016.
Species data updated October 26, 2026.

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