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Northern Sea Star, Common Sea Star
Echinoderm
Northern Sea Star, Common Sea Star
Asterias rubens (Linnaeus, 1758)
WoRMS AphialID
123776
Sample IDs
HMSC174-00289 https://bench.boldsystems.org/index.php/MAS_DataRetrieval_OpenSpecimen?selectedrecordid=ATCEC019-23; HMSC174-00292 https://bench.boldsystems.org/index.php/MAS_DataRetrieval_OpenSpecimen?selectedrecordid=ATCEC021-23
Collected
Eastern Shore NS, SCUBA hand collection on rock and cobbles, 20m depth.
Distinguishing Features
• Tube Feet: 4 rows of tube feet with sucking discs.
• Madreporite: pale yellow.
• Arms: usually 5 arms with spines in a distinct series down the midline of each arm as well as scattered over the rest of the surface. The spines are short and blunt, surrounded by rosette of blunt pedicellariae.
• Colour: Yellow-brown to violet.
Habitat
On rock, gravel and sand, 0-400 m depth.
Geographic Range
Amphi-Atlantic distribution from the Arctic to Senegal and Florida.
Fun Fact
The common sea star eats in an unusual way, allowing it to consume prey bigger than its mouth. It can use the tube feet on its five arms to pry open a mussel. It then inserts its stomach into the mussel shell to digest the animal inside.
Barcode Distribution
BIN matching Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Norway, Russia and UK.
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