A Revision of Thaumatometra tenuis (Comatulida, Crinoidea, Echinodermata) in Korea

A Revision of Thaumatometra tenuis (Comatulida, Crinoidea, Echinodermata) in Korea

Thaumatometra tenuis (A. H. Clark, 1907), an unstalked crinoid that lives on the muddy bottoms of the deep sea, is re-described with images in this study. This species distributes in the cold water zone of the northwestern Pacific and had been reported at the end of 1800s from South Korea but had not been found thereafter. So we thought that this species was no longer living in Korea. In March 2019, a large number of T. tenuis were found near the Sokcho-si, Gangwon-do, Korea. So the presence of T. tenuis in Korea is reconfirmed. This species, markedly fragile overall, is characterized by long segments of cirri and pinnules, and P₁ composed of 35 segments.