This sea lily may be the poorly known Monachocrinus caribbeus, the only member of its family, Bathycrinidae, previously recorded from the Gulf of Mexico. We found large numbers of these crinoids in some areas attached to hard elevated substrates. It displays the parabolic filtration fan posture characteristic of most stalked crinoids, with arms curved back into the current and mouth oriented downcurrent (to right in this image).
Sea Lily
Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Gulf of Mexico 2017.
This sea lily may be the poorly known Monachocrinus caribbeus, the only member of its family, Bathycrinidae, previously recorded from the Gulf of Mexico. We found large numbers of these crinoids in some areas attached to hard elevated substrates. It displays the parabolic filtration fan posture characteristic of most stalked crinoids, with arms curved back into the current and mouth oriented downcurrent (to right in this image). Download larger version (jpg, 658 KB).
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