Derwent River seastar officially extinct, scientists say

[Judi Lynn]

IMAGE CREDIT: Blair Patulo, Museums Victoria
Derwent River seastar officially extinct, scientists say

BY TIM O'HARA | SEPTEMBER 19, 2018

Scientists have officially called it: the Derwent River seastar is gone.

WE SEE THE surface of the sea: the rock pools, the waves, the horizon. But there is so much more going on underneath, hidden from view.

The sea’s surface conceals human impact as well. Today, I am writing a eulogy to the Derwent River Seastar (or starfish), that formerly inhabited the shores near the Tasman Bridge in Hobart, Tasmania. It is Australia’s first documented marine animal extinction and one of the few recorded anywhere in the world.

Scientists only knew the Derwent River Seastar for about 25 years. It was first described in 1969 by Alan Dartnall, a former curator of the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. It was found on and off until the early 1990s but scientists noted a decline in numbers. Targeted surveys in 1993 and 2010 failed to find a single individual.

More:
https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/news/2018/09/derwent-river-seastar-officially-extinct-scientists-say/