crinoid

class of echinoderm

Also known as: Crinoidea

Written and fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Oct. 11, 2026 •History

crinoid, any marine invertebrate of the class Crinoidea (phylum Echinodermata) usually possessing a somewhat cup-shaped body and five or more flexible and active arms. The arms, edged with feathery projections (pinnules), contain the reproductive organs and carry numerous tube feet with sensory functions. The tentacles have open grooves, along which cilia (minute, hairlike projections) sweep food particles toward the mouth.

The distinctive limy tests (internal skeletons of calcium carbonate) of crinoids make the thousands of extinct species (together with extinct echinoderms of similar form) important Paleozoic index fossils. About 700 living species are known, mainly from deep waters.

For more information about living crinoid species and groups, see feather star; sea lily.