Zoroaster fulgens

Zoroaster fulgens is a species of starfish described in 1873 by Charles Wyville Thomson. It is found in the Atlantic Ocean.

Zoroaster fulgens is a marine “starfish” echinoderm belonging to the Asteroidea class, Forcipulatida order, Zoroasteridae family, and Zoroaster genus. Due to taxonomic disorganization Zoroaster fulgens is referred to by many other names including Z. longicauda, Z. ackleyi, Z. bispinosus, Z. diomedeae, Prognaster grimaldii, and Prognaster longicauda.

They were found and first described by Wyville Thomson in his book “The Depths of the Sea…” as he dredged the Atlantic in 1873 (Fig. 1).

Physiology

Since Zoroaster fulgens is a starfish, it belongs in the phylum Echinodermata meaning they are deuterostomes. Another characteristic they share with their fellow Echinodermata is their internal mesodermal skeleton, which is made up of ossicles (Fig. 2), calcified structures that help with articulation (p. 922). Z. fulgens specifically have imbricate heavily armored skeletons (p. 177).

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