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Trees- ShrubsComb Starfish (Astropecten irregularis)
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The family Astropectinidae are starfish with short stiff arms with large marginal plates, Astropecten irregularis has a flattened body and rarely exceeds 80 mm in diameter (1). The five arms are bordered by two rows of spines, with the upper ones shorter than the lower ones, hence its common name. Its colour is yellowish to pale orange with small brown spots between the arms and on the central disc in a star-shaped drawing. The tips of the arms have a purple ocella underlining a photosensitive tube-foot (Tube-shaped element ending by a sucker-disc used to attach to substratum) (2).
Can burrow into sandy bottoms. Due to this species having tube-feet rather than suckers it allows the starfish to be exceptionally good at digging and unusually agile and turn themselves over very quickly (3).
Astropecten irregualris is often found partly buried on clean sand or sandy mud. Occurs in the sublittoral to depths of up to 1000m. Specimens can often be found washed ashore after stormy weather (4).
It is found in the Atlantic Ocean from Norway to Morocco, the English Channel, the North Sea and in the Western Mediterranean Sea (2).
Astropecten irregularis feeds on molluscs, worms, heart-urchins and brittle stars found on sandy bottoms (2).
Not listed under the IUCN Redlist (5).
Description written by Rikki Gilbey (2009)
(1) P.Hayward, T.Nelson-Smith, C.Sheilds, 1996, Colins Pocket Guide Seashore of Britain and Europe, London, Harper Collins Publishers
(2) Bay-Nouailhat A., November 2005, Description of Astropecten irregularis, Available on line at http://www.european-marine-life.org/30/astropecten-irregularis.php, consulted on 15 September 2009.
(3) Lynda Clarke, 2009, Julian Rocks, [online] Available at: http://www.julianrocks.net/echinoderms/Astropecten.htm [Cited 15/09/09]
(4) Sabatini, M. 2008. Astropecten irregularis. A sand star. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. Available from: http://www.marlin.ac.uk/speciesinformation.php?speciesID=2669 [ cited 15/09/2009]
(5) IUCN 2009. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2009.1. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 05 October 2009.
