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Family: Echinasteridae
Knobby Star, more...Red Thorny, Red Thorny Starfish
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Bocas Species Database Habitat: Usually associated with hard substrates. Distribution: Caribbean Natural History Notes: Individuals generally live beneath coral rubble and rock and have been found clinging to mangrove roots. Depth: Less than 55 m, but most commonly in shallow water Characteristics: This species has a small disk and five arms and can grow to around 7 cm in diameter. The arms taper little, except near their tips, and are subcylindrical, flattened ventrally, and composed of widely spaced plates covered by a relatively thin skin. The upper surface and the side of each arm bears one or two irregular rows of thornlike spines, each 2-3 mm in length. On the lower surface, the ambulacral grooves are bordered on both sides by three series of spines. Those spines in the inner row are the smallest, those in the middle are double the size of the inner row, and those in the outer row are double the size of the middle row. The ventral margin of each arm bears another series of spines, smaller and more numerous than those on the upper surface. The species is usually a solid bright red or crimson. |