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There is certainly something very romantic and majestic about the reef and the creatures on it and Nardoa novaecaledoniae is certainly no acceptation to that. Sprawled across the back reef are what appear to be, almost lifeless yellow stars. It is only when one looks closely at this organism, they realise how remarkable this creature really is.
Nardoa novaecaledoniae was first described in 1875 by Perrier in New Caledonia, but was soon identified
throughout tropical reefs from Indonesia to the Great Barrier Reef. This star, known for its yellow meshed pattern, can be found nestled is coral heads, macro algae or rubble throughout waters approximately 1.5m in depth (Boyer 2011;Fenner 2011).
Although found in greatest abundance in back reefal areas, the star can be found in and around the reef crest. It has the amazing ability of manipulating its body to fit into small crevices, a feat that seems almost inconceivable when handling the rigid star.
Nardoa novaecaledoniae has an extensive gas exchange network, which aids life in environments where oxygen is a depleting resource during tidal fluctuations (Ruppert et al. 2004). Like all Asteriodea stars, N. novaecaledoniae has papulae to increase gas exchange. Papulae are small external, extensions of the pervisceral coelom that supply oxygen to the internal organs (Ruppert et al. 2004).
Nardoa novaecaledoniae is a fascinating creature, both inside and out.
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