| Astropecten spinulosus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Astropecten spinulosus on sea bottom | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Echinodermata |
| Class: | Asteroidea |
| Order: | Paxillosida |
| Family: | Astropectinidae |
| Genus: | Astropecten |
| Species: | A. spinulosus |
| Binomial name | |
| Astropecten spinulosus (Philippi, 1837) | |
Astropecten spinulosus is a sea star of the family Astropectinidae.
Starfishes of the genus Astropecten live on mobile seabed (sandy, muddy or gravel seabed) and they remain largely buried under sediment during the day. During the late afternoon and the night starfishes go out to hunt mainly bivalve molluscs, which are their favourite prey. This species lives only in the Mediterranean Sea and it prefers sandy seabed near meadows Posidonia oceanica or Cymodocea nodosa or other mobile seabed in areas very rich in algae from 1 to 50 m deep. This species is active and easy to find during the night, sometimes it is possible to find it in the late afternoon.
It has very short superomarginal plates (the height of the vertical face is slightly larger than the width of plate), completely covered by scales and very small spines. Only from 1 to 3 small spines on the top of plate can be considered a real spines (the other spines are too small). The colour of these spines is the same of the superomarginal plates and it is brown or clear brown. The inferomarginal spines are long and pointed and they have the feature colour blue-purple. It looks like a slender starfish and sometimes it has rounded ends of the arms. The aboral side has always dark colour: brown, reddish-brown, rarely greenish. It is the only Astropecten that often moves away from mobile seabed and it is possible to meet them on hard bottoms, in cave or climbing on Posidonia oceanica. It is a small starfish, usually 6–8 cm and maximum just under 10 cm in diameter. This sea star can be distinguished from very short superomarginal plates, the colour of aboral side, the colour of inferomarginal spines and size. This species can sometimes be confused with Astropecten platyacanthus .
This sea star is a carnivore and feeds on molluscs, which it catches with its arms and then takes to the mouth. The prey is then trapped by the long, moving prickles around the mouth cavity.
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 live 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.
Astropecten is a genus of sea stars of the family Astropectinidae.
Astropecten aranciacus, the red comb star, is a sea star of the family Astropectinidae. It is native to the east Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
Astropecten irregularis is a sea star of the family Astropectinidae. Common names include Sand sea star.
Astropecten bispinosus is a sea star of the family Astropectinidae from the Mediterranean Sea.
Astropecten platyacanthus is a sea star of the family Astropectinidae.
Astropecten jonstoni is a sea star of the family Astropectinidae.
Luidia clathrata is a tropical species of starfish in the family Luidiidae. It is variously known as the slender-armed starfish, the gray sea star, or the lined sea star. It is found in the western Atlantic Ocean.
Luidia senegalensis, the nine-armed sea star, is a tropical species of starfish in the family Luidiidae found in the western Atlantic Ocean.
Labidiaster annulatus, the Antarctic sun starfish or wolftrap starfish is a species of starfish in the family Heliasteridae. It is found in the cold waters around Antarctica and has a large number of slender, flexible rays.
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).
Echinaster spinulosus, the small spine sea star, is a species of sea star found in shallow parts of the western Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico.
Ophiura albida is a species of brittle star in the order Ophiurida. It is typically found on the seabed in the north eastern Atlantic Ocean and in the Mediterranean Sea and is sometimes known as the serpent's table brittle star.
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.
Asterina gibbosa, commonly known as the starlet cushion star, is a species of starfish in the family Asterinidae. It is native to the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
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.
Asterodiscides truncatus, the firebrick starfish, is a species of five-armed starfish in the family Asterodiscididae. It is native to eastern and southern Australia, the Norfolk Ridge and the Kermadec Islands of New Zealand.
Coscinasterias muricata is a species of starfish in the family Asteriidae. It is a large 11-armed starfish and occurs in shallow waters in the temperate western Indo-Pacific region.
Asterina pancerii, commonly known as the seagrass asterina, is a species of starfish in the family Asterinidae. It is native to shallow parts of the Mediterranean Sea where it is usually found in seagrass meadows.
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.
