| Leptasterias muelleri | |
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| Subgenus: | Leptasterias |
| Species: | L. muelleri |
| Binomial name | |
| Leptasterias muelleri | |
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Leptasterias muelleri, the northern starfish, is a species of starfish in the family Asteriidae. [1] 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.
Leptasterias muelleri is a small starfish which is often about 5 cm (2 in) in diameter but can grow to 20 cm (8 in). It has a small disc and five broad, tapering arms that are clearly demarcated from the disc. The aboral (upper) surface is rough, being covered with longitudinally arranged, knob-shaped spines. These are surrounded by small pedicellariae (claw-shaped structures) and interspersed by papulae (respiratory projections). The oral (under) surface of the arms have four longitudinal rows of tube feet with suckers. The colour of this starfish may be pale purple, pink or green, with pale coloured tips to the arms. Green individuals have a symbiotic green alga living in the tissues and are normally found living in shallow water. [2]
Leptasterias muelleri has a wide distribution in the Arctic Ocean and northern Atlantic Ocean. Its range extends from the Gulf of Maine, Greenland and Iceland to the Barents Sea, Scandinavia, the North Sea and the British Isles. It occurs on the lower shore, where it hides under stones, and to depths of at least 200 m (656 ft). [1]
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 1,500 species of starfish occur on the seabed in all the world's oceans, from the tropics to frigid polar waters. They are found from the intertidal zone down to abyssal depths, 6,000 m (20,000 ft) below the surface.
Leptasterias pusilla is a small, six-rayed sea star.
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.
The common starfish, common sea star or sugar starfish is the most common and familiar starfish in the north-east Atlantic. Belonging to the family Asteriidae, it has five arms and usually grows to between 10–30 cm across, although larger specimens are known. The common starfish is usually orange or brownish in color, and sometimes violet; specimens found in deeper waters are pale. The common starfish is found on rocky and gravelly substrates where it feeds on mollusks and other benthic invertebrates.
The common sunstar or Crossaster papposus is a species of sea star belonging to the family Solasteridae. It is found in the northern parts of both the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans.
Cirroteuthis muelleri is one of the largest cirrate octopuses, growing to a length of 1.5 metres (4.9 ft). It is the only species of the genus Cirroteuthis.
Astropecten irregularis is a sea star of the family Astropectinidae. Common names include Sand sea star.
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.
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.
Solaster dawsoni, the morning sun star, is a species of starfish in the family Solasteridae. It is found on either side of the northern Pacific Ocean. It has two subspecies:
The purple sunstar, northern sunstar, or smooth sun star, Solaster endeca, is a species of starfish in the family Solasteridae.
Asterias forbesi, commonly known as Forbes sea star, is a species of starfish in the family Asteriidae. It is found in shallow waters in the northwest Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.
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.
Pteraster militaris, the wrinkled star, is a species of starfish in the family Pterasteridae. It is found in the northern Pacific Ocean, the Arctic Ocean, the Barents Sea and the northern Atlantic Ocean.
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.
Marthasterias is a genus of starfish in the family Asteriidae. It is monotypic and the only species in the genus is Marthasterias glacialis, commonly known as the spiny starfish. It is native to the eastern Atlantic Ocean.
Trophodiscus almus is a species of starfish in the family Astropectinidae. It is found in fairly deep waters in the Sea of Okhotsk, the Sea of Japan and around the Japanese island of Hokkaido. It is very unusual among starfish in that it broods its young on its upper surface. Its common name in Japanese is "Komochi-momiji".
The Atlantic batfish is a species of fish in the family Ogcocephalidae. It is found in deep water in the Atlantic Ocean where it lives on the seabed, feeding on small invertebrates.
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.