Ophidiaster ophidianus

Ophidiaster ophidianus, the purple starfish, is a species of starfish from the East Atlantic (from mainland Portugal and the Azores down to the Gulf of Guinea) and the Mediterranean Sea.[2][3] It has a big variation in colour (from red to orange) and may present brown spots.[4][5] The central disc is small, covered by irregular plates,[6] and the arms are thinner near the central disc. Each arm has lines of respiratory papillae.[7] It can reach 40 cm in diameter.[7]

Ophidiaster ophidianus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Echinodermata
Class: Asteroidea
Order: Valvatida
Family: Ophidiasteridae
Genus: Ophidiaster
Species:
O. ophidianus
Binomial name
Ophidiaster ophidianus
Lamarck, 1816
Synonyms[1]
  • Asterias ophidiana Lamarck, 1816
  • Ophidiaster canariensis Greeff, 1872
  • Ophidiaster aurantius Gray, 1840

References

edit
  1. ^ "Ophidiaster ophidianus (Lamarck, 1816)". Catalogue of Life. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  2. ^ "Ophidiaster ophidianus, purple seastar". www.sealifebase.ca. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  3. ^ "description of Ophidiaster ophidianus - Purple starfish". www.european-marine-life.org (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  4. ^ Marques, V. M. (1983), Arquivos do museu Bocage (Série A). Vol. II, nº 1, pgs 1-12 "Peuplements Benthiques Des Açores I – Echinodermes" (PDF). www.arca.museus.ul.pt.
  5. ^ Micael, J., Alves, M. J., Costa, A. C. (2012). Diversity of shallow-water asteroids (Echinodermata) in the Azorean Archipelago, Marine Biodiversity Records, Vol. 5, e49, pgs 1-10. DOI: 10.1017/S1755267211000534
  6. ^ Müller, Johannes; Troschel, Franz Hermann (1842). System der Asteriden. Braunschweig: Mit Zwölf Kupfertalfen. pp. 28–29. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  7. ^ a b Bay-Nouailhat, Anne and Wilfried. "European Marine Life - Ophidiaster ophidianus - Purple Starfish - Echinoderm Biology". www.european-marine-life.org. Retrieved 2018-01-29.