Luidia maculata | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Echinodermata |
Class: | Asteroidea |
Order: | Paxillosida |
Family: | Luidiidae |
Genus: | Luidia |
Species: | L. maculata |
Binomial name | |
Luidia maculata | |
Synonyms [1] | |
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Luidia maculata is a species of starfish in the family Luidiidae in the order Paxillosida. It is native to the Indo-Pacific region. [2] 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. [3]
Luidia maculata is a large starfish, up to 25 cm (10 in) in diameter. There are usually seven or eight (sometimes nine) long, slender, pointed arms and a relatively small central disc. The aboral (upper) surface is flat, with some granulations, the surface covered with flat-topped, table-like structures known as paxillae. Rows of pale-coloured tube feet that end in points rather than suction pads, are visible on the sides of the arms and the oral (lower) surface. There are two different colour forms of this starfish; some individuals are a uniform shade of dark brown or greenish-brown, while others are dark brown with orange-brown chevron-shaped markings, or light brown with dark markings. [2] This starfish could be confused with some other member of the Luidia genus, particularly L. savignyi , but that species is spiny whereas L. maculata is smooth. Another similar species is L. magnifica , but that typically has nine or ten arms. [2] [3]
Luidia maculata is native to the tropical Indian and Pacific Ocean. Its usual habitat is muddy sand on the floor of lagoons, but it may also be found on other soft sediments and in seagrass beds. Its depth range is from a few metres down to about 35 m (115 ft). [2]
Luidia maculata partially buries itself in soft sediment rendering itself difficult to spot. It is a predator, feeding mostly on sea urchins, particularly irregular sand dollars and similar echinoderms which also live buried in sand. Unlike some related species which practice external digestion, it draws its prey inside its mouth to consume. When it emerges from hiding, it often leaves behind inedible fragments of test from its prey in the hollow it vacated. [2] Other dietary items include sea cucumbers, brittle stars, bivalves, snails, crustaceans and worms. [3]
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 occur 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 polyacanthus, the sand sifting starfish or comb sea star, is a sea star of the family Astropectinidae. It is the most widespread species in the genus Astropecten, found throughout the Indo-Pacific region. The armspread is up to 20 cm (8 in). The specific epithet "polyacanthus" comes from the Latin meaning "many thorned".
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.
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.
Luidia is a genus of starfish in the family Luidiidae in which it is the only genus. Species of the family have a cosmopolitan distribution.
The seven-armed sea star is a species of sea star (starfish) in the family Luidiidae. It is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
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.
Luidia superba is a tropical species of starfish in the family Luidiidae. A single specimen was found off the Pacific coast of Colombia in 1888; the species has since been found in the Galapagos Islands. It is endemic to this area and has not been recorded elsewhere.
Archaster typicus is a species of starfish in the family Archasteridae. It is commonly known as the sand star or the sand sifting star but these names are also applied to starfish in the genus Astropecten. It is found in shallow waters in the Indo-Pacific region.
Luidia senegalensis, the nine-armed sea star, is a tropical species of starfish in the family Luidiidae found in the western Atlantic Ocean.
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).
Leptasterias polaris, the polar six-rayed star, is a species of starfish in the family Asteriidae. It is found in cold waters in the northwest Atlantic Ocean and in polar regions.
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.
The spiny sand seastar is a species of starfish in the family Luidiidae. It is found in shallow parts of the China Sea and in the vicinity of the Korean archipelago. The tissues of this starfish have been found to contain several secondary metabolites with medicinal potential.
Astropecten scoparius is a sea star in the family Astropectinidae. It is found in shallow water in the East China Sea and around the coasts of Japan. It is a grey starfish and each of its five arms has a narrow pale margin. It burrows in the muddy sediments on the seabed and feeds on molluscs.
Patiria pectinifera, the blue bat star, is a species of starfish in the family Asterinidae. It is found in the northern Pacific Ocean along the coasts of Japan, China and Russia. It is used as a model organism in developmental biology.
Stichaster striatus, the common light striated star, is a species of starfish in the family Stichasteridae, found in the southeastern Pacific Ocean. It was first described by the German zoologists Johannes Peter Müller and Franz Hermann Troschel in 1840.
Luidia magellanica is a species of starfish in the family Luidiidae. It is found in the southeastern Pacific Ocean on the coast of South America.