| Echinaster spinulosus | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Echinodermata |
| Class: | Asteroidea |
| Order: | Spinulosida |
| Family: | Echinasteridae |
| Genus: | Echinaster |
| Species: | E. spinulosus |
| Binomial name | |
| Echinaster spinulosus | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
| |
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.
Echinaster spinulosus is a medium sized sea star with five long tapering arms, round in cross section, attached to a central disc. Near one edge of this is the madreporite, a structure used for drawing in water to replenishing the water vascular system. The aboral or upper surface is covered in flat plates, each of which bears several short, blunt spines. These plates are quite prominent. They have fine granulations and are arranged in fifteen to twenty irregular rows that continue down the arms. On the margin of the arms are a row of plates with flattened spines and on the oral (under) surface, on either side of the ambulacral grooves, are larger plates, each bearing one small and two larger spines. In the grooves there are several rows of bright orange tube feet with suckers. The tips of the arms bear tiny orange eye spots and are often turned upwards. This sea star grows to about 6 inches (150 mm) in diameter and its general colour is maroon or brown flecked with white. [2] [3] The body wall of the disc and arms is composed of collagen fibres arranged in a three-dimensional web with calcareous plates in between. This arrangement provides a protective surface with flexibility when the sea star moves around and rigidity when required. [4]
Echinaster spinulosus is found in the western Atlantic from Cape Hatteras and the Gulf Coast southwards to Venezuela, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. [1] Its typical habitats include sandy bottoms, seagrass meadows ( Zostera spp.), oyster beds, stony flats and pilings. [4] It is a common species and is found at depths between 10 and 20 metres (33 and 66 ft). [3]
Echinaster spinulosus is a predator and scavenger and feeds on such sessile invertebrates as sponges and tunicates. [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 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 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.
Solaster paxillatus, the orange sun star, is a species of starfish found at varying depths in the northern Pacific Ocean. It is a natural predator of the starfish Asterias amurensis.
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.
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.
The purple sunstar, northern sunstar, or smooth sun star, Solaster endeca, is a species of starfish in the family Solasteridae.
Evasterias troschelii is a species of starfish in the family Asteriidae. Its common names include the mottled star, false ochre sea star and Troschel's true star. It is found in Kamchatka and the north western coast of North America.
Luidia senegalensis, the nine-armed sea star, is a tropical species of starfish in the family Luidiidae found in the western Atlantic Ocean.
Davidaster rubiginosus, the orange sea lily, is a species of crinoid in the family Comatulidae. At one time it was classified as Nemaster rubiginosa but the World Register of Marine Species has determined that the valid name is Davidaster rubiginosus. It is found on reefs in the tropical western Atlantic and the Caribbean Sea.
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.
Pteraster tesselatus, the slime star or cushion star, is a species of starfish in the family Pterasteridae found in the North Pacific.
The orange knobby star, Echinaster echinophorus, is a species of sea star found in the Caribbean Sea and along the Atlantic coast of South America.
Ossicles are small calcareous elements embedded in the dermis of the body wall of echinoderms. They form part of the endoskeleton and provide rigidity and protection. They are found in different forms and arrangements in sea urchins, starfish, brittle stars, sea cucumbers, and crinoids. The ossicles and spines are the only parts of the animal likely to be fossilized after an echinoderm dies.
The Brisingidae are a family of starfish found only in the deep sea. They inhabit both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans at abyssal depths, and also occur in the Southern Ocean and around Antarctica at slightly shallower depths.
Poraniidae is a family of starfishes in the order Valvatida.
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.
Leptasterias muelleri, the northern starfish, is a species of starfish in the family Asteriidae. It is found in the Arctic Ocean and the northern Atlantic Ocean. It is a predator and scavenger and is unusual among starfish in that it broods its young.
Echinaster callosus, the warty sea star or the banded bubble star, is a species of starfish found in shallow parts of the western Indo-Pacific region. The disc and five slender arms are covered with white, pink, red or violet warts, often forming transverse bands of colour on the arms.
Freyella elegans is a species of deep-water starfish in the family Freyellidae in the order Brisingida, living at abyssal depths in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean.
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.