What is "pedicellaria"

Pedicellaria \Ped`i*cel*la"ri*a\, n.; pl. Pedicellari[ae]. [NL. See Pedicel.] (Zo["o]l.) A peculiar forcepslike organ which occurs in large numbers upon starfishes and echini. Those of starfishes have two movable jaws, or blades, and are usually nearly, or quite, sessile; those of echini usually have three jaws and a pedicel. See Illustration in Appendix.

n. (context biology English) A small, stalk-shaped structure of the sea urchin and other echinoderms, which has three pincer-like structures at the end that perform cleaning functions and serve as defense against predators.

A pedicellaria (plural: pedicellariae) is a small wrench- or claw-shaped appendage with movable jaws, called valves, commonly found on echinoderms (phylum Echinodermata), particularly in sea stars (class Asteroidea) and sea urchins (class Echinoidea). Each pedicellaria is an effector organ with its own set of muscles, neuropils, and sensory receptors and is therefore capable of reflex responses to the environment. Pedicellariae are poorly understood but in some taxa, they are thought to keep the body surface clear of algae, encrusting organisms, and other debris in conjunction with the ciliated epidermis present in all echinoderms.