On 1 July 2025, NIWA merged with GNS Science to become Earth Sciences New Zealand.

Basket-Star

Owen Anderson, NIWA

When stressed basket stars curl up into a ball, so this is what our specimens normally appear like. A top and bottom view of Gorgonocephalus pustulatum collected from around 1000m depth on the Chatham Rise. On close inspection, the disc looks much more familiar brittle-star shaped.