Patiriella calcar

Patiriella calcar
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Echinodermata
Subphylum: Eleutherozoa
Class: Asteroidea
Order: Valvatida
Suborder: Leptognathina
Family: Asterinidae
Genus: Patiriella
Species: Patiriella calcar
Lamarck, 1816

Patiriella calcar, commonly known as Carpet Sea Star or Cushion Sea Star or Eight-armed Sea Star, is an Australian species of sea star.

Description

The Cushion Sea Star has eight short, distinct, triangular "arms", though 7- or 9-armed individuals can be found. These "arms" are laterally fused together for some of their length, leaving ray-like tips of varying length to jut from the disk-like body. This species aboral surface can be any colour or combination of colours, while the oral side is uniformly pale. This sea star attains a maximum diameter from arm tip to arm tip of 10 cm.

Distribution and habitat

The Cushion Sea Star is found in the intertidal zone of Australian coasts from Western Australia's south coast to Queensland's coast off Currumbin, while including Tasmania, South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales. This sea star species favours rocky coasts abiding both in tide pools and to a maximum depth of 3 meters below sea level.

Ecology and behaviour

Like other sea stars, the Cushion Sea Star is a slow-moving animal using its tube feet to move about, collecting or subduing the food items that constitute this omnivorous species diet, namely, algae, detritus, mussels and other invertebrates. This species is viviparous like a few others classified in the genus Patiriella, brooding its young within the body.

References


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 3/19/2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.