Red Starfish

Facts

IUCN NOT EVALUATED (NE)

Facts about this animal

The colour of the Red Starfish is a vivid red to red-orange. There are usually 5 (rarely 4, 6 or 7) slender, cylindrical arms connected to the small disc which are 8-15 cm long. The average arm span is 10-20 cm with a maximum of 30 cm. The ventral ambulacral grooves of each arm, carrying two rows of tube feet, can be closed. The tube feet have suckers, longitudinal retracting muscles and are erected by water pressure of the water-vascular system. The surface of the whole animal is armed with small spines of 1.5 mm length but which are completely covered by mucus of the glandular skin giving the body a soapy texture. There are also irregularly distributed elevations and craters with papulae which help for respiration.

Eggs are directly developing to young starfishes. There is no larval state.

The Red Starfish hides under rocks or is exposed.

Factsheet
Class	ASTEROIDEA
Order	SPINULOSIDA
Suborder	LEPTOGNATHINA
Name (Scientific)	Echinaster sepositus
Name (English)	Red Starfish
Name (French)	Etoile de mer rouge
Name (German)	Roter Seestern, Purpurstern
Name (Spanish)	Estrella espinosa roja
Local names	Dutch: Oranjerode zeester Italian: Stella marina rossa, Stella rossa
CITES Status	Not listed
CMS Status	Not listed

Photo Copyright by
Albert Kok

Distribution

Distribution
Range	Mediterranean Sea and eastern Atlantic Ocean from northern Bretagne to the Cape Verde Islands
Habitat	In depths of 1-200 m (rarely to 1000 m). On solid surfaces like rocks or limestone made of haptophyte sediments. Occasionally on muddy and sandy ground and in seagrass meadows.
Wild population	Very common
Zoo population	48 reported to ISIS (2008)

In the Zoo

How this animal should be transported

The Common Starfish should be sorted by size and cooled down with ice bags. At the aquarium not temperature adaption is necessary.