| Culcita coriacea | |
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| Species: | C. coriacea |
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| Culcita coriacea Müller & Troschel, 1842 | |
Culcita coriacea, commonly known as the Arabian cushion star, is a species of pin-cushion star.
Culcita coriacea is a roughly pentagonal starfish with a leathery surface and an inflated appearance. It is subpentagonal in shape with a very convex aboral (upper) surface and flat base. Its arms are stout and short, but more obvious than in the other species of this genus.
This starfish varies in color but often has a dark background with small colored patches.
Culcita coriacea is endemic to the Arabian region, in particular the Red Sea and the region of Oman. It is found in lagoon areas and on inner reef flats with seagrasses and among algae at depths down to about 92 m (302 ft).
Culcita coriacea feeds mainly on the epibenthic film of organic detritus and micro-organisms growing on algae and sea grasses.
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.
The crown-of-thorns starfish, Acanthaster planci, is a large starfish that preys upon hard, or stony, coral polyps (Scleractinia). The crown-of-thorns starfish receives its name from venomous thorn-like spines that cover its upper surface, resembling the biblical crown of thorns. It is one of the largest starfish in the world.
The Valvatida are an order of starfish in the class Asteroidea, which contains 695 species in 172 genera in 17 families.
Patiriella regularis, or New Zealand common cushion star, is a sea star of the family Asterinidae, native to New Zealand. It has an arm spread of up to 60 mm (2.4 in).
Culcita novaeguineae is a species of starfish. It has short arms and an inflated appearance and resembles a pentagonal pincushion. It is variable in colour and can be found in tropical warm waters in the Indo-Pacific.
Culcita is a genus of cushion stars. They are found in tropical waters. Some are kept in home aquariums.
Culcita schmideliana, commonly known as the spiny cushion star, is a species of pin-cushion star. It has a variety of base colors and often patches of a different color. It is pentagonal in shape and lives in the tropical Indo-Pacific. This species is rarely kept by hobby aquarists.
Asterina phylactica is a species of sea star. It can be found in geographically widespread sites around the British Isles and in the Mediterranean Sea. It has five arms, is about 1.5 cm across and is of a green colour with central brown markings. The species was formally described in 1979 and is very similar to Asterina gibbosa.
Oreaster reticulatus, commonly known as the red cushion sea star or the West Indian sea star, is a species of marine invertebrate, a starfish in the family Oreasteridae. It is found in shallow water in the western Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.
Acodontaster conspicuus is a species of starfish in the family Odontasteridae. It is found in the Southern Ocean, in the waters off Antarctica and the island groups nearby.
The star pearlfish, Carapus mourlani, is a species of slender, ray-finned fish in the family Carapidae. It normally lives inside a starfish or a sea cucumber.
Fromia monilis, common name necklace starfish or tiled starfish, is a species of starfish belonging to the family Goniasteridae.
Echinaster sepositus, the Mediterranean red sea star, is a species of starfish from the East Atlantic, including the Mediterranean Sea.
Pentaceraster cumingi, sometimes known as the Panamic cushion star, Cortez starfish or knobby star, is a species of starfish in the family Oreasteridae. It is found in warmer parts of the East Pacific and in Hawaii. In Panama this species has been collected from the Pearl Islands, Gulf of Panama, and off Coiba Island, Gulf of Chiriqui. It reaches a diameter of about 30 cm (12 in).
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.
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.
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.
Zenopontonia soror, the starfish shrimp or seastar shrimp, is a species of shrimp in the family Palaemonidae. It is found in shallow water in the tropical Indo-Pacific region. It lives in association with a starfish, often changing its colour to match that of its host.
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.