Case in point:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Ol3865ehMfO39745Ccz_1wYT_SikUK0b1RuKm6-frr5PzGWnfZVvBMDVJvyULcNqng8j8VzE-Syrk74_UBlPvf4eClNl8ukWyzhh-WPi-2QqNKOY-LIdYVxf12itDsX_-GOur8mkJTvx/s320/trem2.jpg)
Taxonomy: Valvatida; Asterinidae; "Tremasterinae".
Where? South Pacific, Southern Ocean, North Atlantic, the Indian Ocean-pretty much all over the place but in deeper water! 300-500 m!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCrXq6fBCzDzSyVDl-Bzqf7S1Um58gtsgMdKzx3FU8Gqg_MdEojaD8BVULxT8BoWd4iJO9ot5g2usH_Ag7AGHTCiLSv07YEZ9S7l1qSX5g_3TmtJgHKQhNRvimF8_XyP01sB5iTNd2PBJq/s320/trem5.jpg)
"Tremasterines" have what appears to be a Jurassic fossil occurrence...Apparently, a relatively old body form relative to other asterinids (if indeed they are truly related).
..... And there is a striking resemblance between Tremaster and a brain slug!!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI7ckqIF1N107p9W2i_2eNdGYEYU6kaME3qeymhru1P9TkEFmPTUNz83ljNezYyzIfHvsEjZ7upRoB8ffMt2X459lyZQmXC1-lQBb1BmTbfzEmlEjjDqB-otXtpWvwC_AH47GgdEW1RTI3/s320/brainslug.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwhiCPVmLnR2KsfZ8Zqr3h2vNbGVtS5pgyrlUqi_CTNULIrSykKu57dVHclcb1oKgBudmE7NkpebX07yR0W6wOzXt4lHDngjEnArhbeFfewZMvPaxk0w5ww3mZIGULZjYf7MLy3IBU8tG-/s320/trem1.jpg)
What do those big interradial pores function for? Why the high conical body aspect?
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvVYC-we37Pxwn6mNjbRflupV6tr7MSAFFPyYM4oNTL-5PQkI0QaNEMB4Rx3rUR4CjvbKghRh1nM5tFSxZ5LiXOC8BiykhMWIeHw-WX1pOIof5VCuUwG-3clI1942SBqoqybFsMDngs31o/s320/trem4.jpg)
And that's pretty much it. A summary (and the summary's dead-tree citation) of what's known about this animal is available here.
An intriguing and tantalizing beast!!
Plus...when observed from the oral surface, Tremaster bears a striking resemblance to the Sarlacc from Return of the Jedi!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBnYiOOLHc4Pr3u4yzuYcInAErArkjKdg5k-JHfXMFZ0mG0cGAc1ncoAGGAr1TXbaG7gwNzHAN8ZTot-ElVdZNibS183rtJUyjd6ADTW7tiJgWQHl4hp79B7TCJJcBuh13zjAdpdnK3kcn/s320/trem3.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt_6bb_p_Qlx3VcZYnBWK7lgIqYsR-dPviqiRaP5hcVufys41rcvfECFH3sji5bO4Pak2uH3C7WRqPf7I2gc0jbeNqSAyaZriipjAAH43SPqDrRB_x6ekxf4kqLLlKVYlGZN_lK9moOZfZ/s320/lando_sarlacc2.jpg)
2 comments:
It all comes back to science fiction with these inverts, doesn't it.
where echinoderm are concerned..it always seems appropriate. :-)
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