Melusinaster

Background

Melusinaster was described from microscopic skeletal remains retrieved from clay washed through sieves. The individuals were small ophiuroids with arched, crescent-shaped arm plates, articulations in the spine made of muscle and nerve openings, and no tubercles or spurs on the outer surfaces of the arm plates. These fossil remains represented a transitional form between brittle stars and basket stars.

Based on a morphology-based phylogenetic assessment by Thuy and Stöhr, Melusinaster is related to the previously described genus Aspiduriella from the Triassic period, and is believed to be an intermediate genus between the older Aspiduriella and basket stars alive today. The genus name refers to the legend of Melusine, a mermaid from the mythology of the House of Luxembourg.

Only two species have been described: M. alissawhitegluzae, named after singer Alissa White-Gluz of the Swedish extreme metal band Arch Enemy, and M. arcusinimus, named for the Latinized version of 'Arch Enemy'. A replica of a basket star was given to White-Gluz during a concert at Rockhal in 2018, and another replica is housed in the National Museum of Natural History in Luxembourg.