Astrolirus patricki sp. nov. described here represents a new species. Patrick Star, from the popular cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants, is the name of this new starfish species.
Its name comes from its close relationship with another species, a sponge, rather than the pink-red color it shares with Patrick Star. It was discovered in a few locations 1.5-3 km below the surface in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. All five specimens of the new starfish were discovered attached to deep-sea sponges. Occasionally 2–3 individuals were spotted on the same sponge along with numbers of ophiuroids and crinoids.
Seamounts are deep-sea biomes found all over the world that are home to a variety of ecosystems and benthic species. Sponges are a dominant benthic fauna in seamount ecosystems, providing habitat and settlement substrate for other seamount invertebrates such as mollusks, hydrozoans, and echinoderms.
The name comes from the character ‘Patrick Star,' who spends much of his time with his best friend SpongeBob, a benthic sponge, according to the authors of the paper describing this new species. Because all of the new species' specimens were found to be living on sponges, it was given the name Patrick to symbolize this mysterious relationship.
This new starfish species, unlike the cartoon character, has seven arms that are far thinner than the rotund, five-armed Patrick Star. The number of arms and spines, as well as other tiny characteristics known as costae and intercostal plates, adambulacral spine number and distribution, as well as the number of genital organs, separate the new species from other closely related sea stars.
Article by – Lakshitha Mahakumara
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