It does this with 31–120 feathery arms, usually held up into the water in order to trap food, feeding on detritus, phytoplankton and zooplankton.

The arms have numerous finger-like appendages known as pinnules, in order to increase the surface area on which food can be trapped.

These cirri are used by A. bennetti to hold on to substrate in the beginning portion of their lives, after the larvae settle out of the water column.

[4] A. bennetti is widespread in the Indo-West Pacific, from Bay of Bengal and Maldives to the Marshall Islands and from China to Australia, Bali and Indonesia.

This relationship has been described as commensalistic, meaning that the polychaete worms benefit greatly from the feather star, as it provides shelter, protection, and food, and there is little to no negative effect on A. bennetti.