white thing on the red fan coral?

[amrala]

Hi Janna,

I will need ur help again for the pict attached , there is a white think on the red fan coral , is it part of the fan coral or its living on it ...?

the pict taken in Jeddah , Saudi Arabia, Redsea, depth was 60-75ft ,day time dive , i didn't see any kind of movement from the white thing

thanks
Amr

[nwscubamom]

WOW! That's a great sighting!! (and awesome photo)

I'm no expert on that area where you're diving (I'm mostly just familiar with the West Coast of US and Canada), but what you have there is some sort of Basket Star.

Here's a version we have here in Washington State:


That one is several feet in diameter - and yours looks to be considerably smaller, but the overall look and the fact it's sectioned into 5 parts would lead one to conclude it's an Echinoderm of some sort, most likely a Basket Star. (the little branched arms that can curl up is a big clue).

Thanks for posting this one!

- Janna

[scottg]

great sighting! looks like tiny basket stars to me

[smb2]

Nice find.
Looks like a Basket Star to me as well but the only ones I know are tightly balled up during the day. Generally it's at night when you see them with arms extended, feeding. This looks like a daytime shot.

[amrala]

Thanks Scott/Janna and SMB

the dive was in daytime ,visibility was somehow fair

@ SMB do u mean the 2nd photo i attach in this reply is also a basket star? this one will be found at night time and sometimes in deep area as 95ft if the temp is cold but one u hit them with light they will close and run away

[nwscubamom]

Oh, totally cool!!! This one is a Crinoid!!
They are echinoderms - often called Feather Stars.

Kinda creepy when stars can actually run. Alfred Hitchcocky-like!

- Janna

[smb2]

Agree with Janna, the second one is a Crinoid. Still in the Echinoderm phylum.
The Crinoids have five arms just like other starfish but they branch early and will have numerous arms, always in multiples of five!
I see them extended in the day or night. Close inspection will sometimes reveal a very small shrimp perfectly camouflaged living on the arms. In the Caribbean this is especially true with the Black and White Crinoid.