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Forbes’ Sea Star
Echinoderm
Forbes’ Sea Star
Asterias forbesi (Desor, 1848)
WoRMS AphialID
158489
Sample IDs
HMSC174-01681 https://bench.boldsystems.org/index.php/MAS_DataRetrieval_OpenSpecimen?selectedrecordid=ATCEC041-24
Collected
Grand Manan NB, SCUBA hand collection on boulders and mixed sediment, 16m depth.
Distinguishing Features
• Tube Feet: 4 rows of tube feet with sucking discs.
• Madreporite: bright orange.
• Arms: usually 5 arms with spines randomly scattered over surface, and the spines have 1 blunt prominent spine surrounded by smaller spines.
• Colour: varies, body can be brown, orange, purple or green. The spines have yellow tips.
Habitat
On various seabeds, 0-613 m depth.
Geographic Range
East coast of North America from the Bay of Fundy to the Gulf of Mexico.
Fun Fact
It takes an active sea star about a week to travel 1 mile. Sometimes when a sea star loses an arm and is regrowing it, it will overcompensate and grow an extra arm or two. This is why they can be found with extra arms occasionally.
Barcode Distribution
BIN matching Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Florida.
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