The 20-armed creature is Promachocrinus fragarius, the Antarctic strawberry feather star. It is a real Southern Ocean animal and a crinoid in the echinoderm phylum—not a true starfish. Scientists formally named it in a 2023 revision that showed Antarctic feather stars once grouped under one species name included several distinct species.
What did scientists reveal in 2023?
For decades, many Antarctic feather stars were treated as one broadly distributed species, Promachocrinus kerguelensis. In a 2023 revision, McLaughlin, Wilson and Rouse examined a wider range of Southern Ocean specimens and recognized eight species in the group: four established taxa and four species previously unnamed to science. P. fragarius was among the newly named species.
The four established taxa recognized in the revision were P. kerguelensis, P. vanhoeffenianus, P. joubini and P. mawsoni (the latter treated as a new combination in that paper). The revision’s importance is not that a never-before-seen animal suddenly appeared, but that scientists distinguished species that had been combined under a broader name.
Why does it have 20 arms and a strawberry name?
P. fragarius has 20 arm-like rays and a central body that resembles a strawberry. Those features inspired the common name “Antarctic strawberry feather star” and the species epithet fragarius. The rays give it a striking, many-armed appearance, but it is a feather star—not a fish or a monster.
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The 20 rays are a descriptive feature of this species. The available species account does not establish why that number evolved or what specific advantage it provides, so the number should not be treated as a proven adaptation with a known purpose.
How did scientists identify the species?
The researchers combined DNA evidence with examination of physical traits. They analyzed the mitochondrial COI gene in all new specimens and used additional genetic markers for selected representatives. They also compared pigmentation and the centrodorsal ossicle, a skeletal structure in the animal.
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This combination mattered because some species in the group are cryptic or pseudocryptic: external appearance alone may not reliably distinguish them. The revision connected visible differences with genetic lineages rather than relying on looks alone.
Where was it found, and how deep does it live?
South Shetland Islands collection records held by Scripps Institution of Oceanography document P. fragarius in Antarctic waters. The records include these trawl collections:
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| Record | Collection details | Recorded depth |
|---|---|---|
| South Shetland Islands | Blake-trawl collection from the R/V Nathaniel B. Palmer, 27 October 2011 | 172–184 metres |
| Nearby South Shetland Islands station | Another Scripps collection record; the cited details do not specify a date or vessel | 195–210 metres |
A separate biogeographic analysis gives a depth span of roughly 20–2,000 metres for the genus Promachocrinus as a whole. That is genus-level context, not a confirmed depth range for P. fragarius; the cited species-specific records place it at the two South Shetland trawl depths above.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Was it really “hiding for centuries”?
That phrase is a dramatic way to describe a taxonomic discovery, not a measured account of how long the species went unnoticed. The evidence establishes that P. fragarius was formally named in 2023 after researchers reassessed Antarctic feather-star diversity. It does not establish how long the species existed, when it first entered scientific collections, or how abundant it is.
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The story is therefore about recognizing hidden diversity in a group that had been classified too broadly—not about a known animal suddenly emerging from the ocean after a documented period of concealment.
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