| Leptasterias aequalis | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Echinodermata |
| Class: | Asteroidea |
| Order: | Forcipulatida |
| Family: | Asteriidae |
| Genus: | Leptasterias |
| Species: | L. aequalis |
| Binomial name | |
| Leptasterias aequalis (Stimpson, 1862) | |
Leptasterias aequalis, common names little six-rayed seastar or six-armed star, is a species of brooding starfish. [1]
This is a small species, with a total width of only about 5 centimetres (2.0 in). The coloration is extremely variable.
This seastar is found in the northeastern Pacific Ocean, [2] from Washington [3] to Southern California. It lives on rocky shores, in the mid-intertidal zone.
Many sea-stars broadcast-spawn their embryos, where fertilization occurs in the water column; however, Leptasterias species brood their embryos locally. The stars form mating aggregations and the female sits on her brood for a period of 6–8 weeks while the embryos develop underneath. Eventually, the embryos fully metamorphose into juvenile sea-stars and walk away, and thus can only locally disperse. Larger females produce larger embryos of great quality; however, as larger broods are produced, a considerable proportion of them are lost. [1]
