| Astropecten armatus | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Echinodermata |
| Class: | Asteroidea |
| Order: | Paxillosida |
| Family: | Astropectinidae |
| Genus: | Astropecten |
| Species: | A. armatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Astropecten armatus | |
Astropecten armatus, the spiny sand star or Estrella de Arena, is a sea star in the family Astropectinidae. It is found on sandy or gravelly areas in the East Pacific ranging from California (USA) to Ecuador. [2]
Astropecten armatus is a dorsally flattened starfish, which grows to a diameter of about 17 cm (7 in). The disc is quite small and the five arms are slender and pointed, slightly turned up at the tips. The madreporite is very close to the edge of the disc. The central surface of both disc and arms is smooth. The arms have conspicuous marginal plates with a fringe of upward pointing spines and another of downward pointing ones. Further rows of spines line the ambulacral grooves. The tube feet are pointed and do not have suckers. The colour of the aboral (upper) surface is yellowish brown, dull pink or grey and the starfish blends in well with the colour of the substrate. The oral (under) surface is pale yellow or ivory. [3]
Astropecten armatus is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean on sandy or soft gravel seabeds, often semi-submerged in the sediment. Its range extends from San Pedro Bay in California (USA) to Ecuador. [2] Off the western coast of Mexico, it is the most abundant starfish on suitable substrates, at all depths between 5 and 115 metres (16 and 377 ft). [3]
Astropecten armatus is an agile starfish. It can "glide" across the surface of the sand with its mobile tube feet. If turned upside down it can right itself with a flip and if several are stacked on top of each other, they will quickly disperse. [4] It is a predator and primarily feeds on the olive snail ( Olivella biplicata ). It can consume these at the rate of one each day but, when they are less plentiful, it will turn to other food sources and eat sand dollars and sea pansies (Renilla reniformis) and scavenge on dead fish. [4]
Starfish or sea stars are star-shaped echinoderms belonging to the class Asteroidea. Common usage frequently finds these names being also applied to ophiuroids, which are correctly referred to as brittle stars or basket stars. Starfish are also known as asteroids due to being in the class Asteroidea. About 1,900 species of starfish occur on the seabed in all the world's oceans, from warm, tropical zones to frigid, polar regions. They are found from the intertidal zone down to abyssal depths, at 6,000 m (20,000 ft) below the surface.
The Echinasteridae are a family of starfish in the monotypic order Spinulosida. The family includes eight genera and about 133 species found on the seabed in various habitats around the world.
Astropecten polyacanthus, the sand sifting starfish or comb sea star, is a sea star of the family Astropectinidae. It is the most widespread species in the genus Astropecten, found throughout the Indo-Pacific region. The armspread is up to 20 cm (8 in). The specific epithet "polyacanthus" comes from the Latin meaning "many thorned".
Astropecten aranciacus, the red comb star, is a sea star of the family Astropectinidae. It is native to the east Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea.
Astropecten irregularis is a sea star of the family Astropectinidae. Common names include Sand sea star.
Astropecten platyacanthus is a sea star of the family Astropectinidae.
Astropecten jonstoni is a sea star of the family Astropectinidae.
Luidia superba is a tropical species of starfish in the family Luidiidae. A single specimen was found off the Pacific coast of Colombia in 1888; the species has since been found in the Galapagos Islands. It is endemic to this area and has not been recorded elsewhere.
Leptasterias hexactis is a species of starfish in the family Asteriidae, commonly known as the six-rayed star. It is found in the intertidal zone of the western seaboard of the United States. It is a predator and is unusual among starfish in that it broods its eggs and young.
The purple sunstar, northern sunstar, or smooth sun star, Solaster endeca, is a species of starfish in the family Solasteridae.
Archaster typicus is a species of starfish in the family Archasteridae. It is commonly known as the sand star or the sand sifting star but these names are also applied to starfish in the genus Astropecten. It is found in shallow waters in the Indo-Pacific region.
Luidia senegalensis, the nine-armed sea star, is a tropical species of starfish in the family Luidiidae found in the western Atlantic Ocean.
Stylasterias is a genus of starfish in the family Asteriidae. Stylasterias forreri, the velcro star, is the only species in the genus. It is found on the Pacific coast of Canada and the United States.
Luidia foliolata, the sand star, is a species of starfish in the family Luidiidae found in the northeastern Pacific Ocean on sandy and muddy seabeds at depths to about 600 m (2,000 ft).
The spiny sand seastar is a species of starfish in the family Luidiidae. It is found in shallow parts of the China Sea and in the vicinity of the Korean archipelago. The tissues of this starfish have been found to contain several secondary metabolites with medicinal potential.
Poraniopsis inflata, the spiny sea star, is a species of starfish in the family Poraniidae. It is native to the Pacific Ocean and is found in deep water off the coast of North America.
Astropecten duplicatus, the two-spined sea star, is a starfish in the family Astropectinidae. It is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.
Luidia maculata is a species of starfish in the family Luidiidae in the order Paxillosida. It is native to the Indo-Pacific region. It is commonly known as the eight-armed sea star because, although the number of arms varies from five to nine, eight arms seems to be the most common.
Neoferdina cumingi, also known as Cuming's sea star, is a species of starfish in the family Goniasteridae. It is native to the tropical Indo-Pacific region.
Luidia savignyi is a species of starfish belonging to the family Luidiidae. The species is found in the tropical and subtropical Indo-Pacific region. It is a large starfish and preys on other echinoderms.