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Astropecten irregularis

Spiny comb-star

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Astropecten irregularis

Glénan Archipelago, France, 17 meters, 2004, WBN

Astropecten irregularis

Glénan Archipelago, France, 15 meters, 2005, WBN

Description

Astropecten irregularis has a flattened body of up to 12 cm in diameter. The five arms are bordered by two lines of spines, the upper ones shorter than the lower ones, thus its common name. Its colour is yellowish to pale orange with small brown spots at the intersection of the arms and on the central disc in a star-shaped drawing. The armtips bear a violet ocella underlining a photosensitive tube-foot. Astropecten irregularis feeds on molluscs, worms, heart-urchins and brittle stars found on sandy bottoms where it can hide.

Distribution

Astropecten irregularis is found from 2 to 1000 m deep in the Atlantic Ocean from Norway to Morocco, the English Channel, the North Sea and in the Western Mediterranean Sea.

Classification

Source : World Register of Marine Species
Dernière mise à jour 24-12-2024

Glossaire de la page

Tube foot : tube-shaped element ending by a sucker-disc used to attach to substratum.

Authors

Text : Anne Bay-Nouailhat © 2005 - 2024.

Photos : © Wilfried Bay-Nouailhat. Published with his kind permission.
Websites and reference works : Consult bibliography

Image satellite: © Esri, DigitalGlobe, GeoEye, Earthstar Geographics, CNES/Airbus DS, USDA, USGS, AeroGRID, IGN, and the GIS User Community.

Données de distribution : Astropecten irregularis in GBIF Secretariat (2019). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org on 2024-12-24.

Guide des Tuniciers

Classification

Source : World Register of Marine Species


Dernière mise à jour 24-12-2024

Guide des Tuniciers

Page glossary

Tube foot : tube-shaped element ending by a sucker-disc used to attach to substratum.

Authors

Text : Anne Bay-Nouailhat © 2005 - 2024.

Photos : © Wilfried Bay-Nouailhat. Published with his kind permission.
Websites and reference works : Consult bibliography

How to cite this page

Bay-Nouailhat A., March 2005, Description of Astropecten irregularis, [On line] https://european-marine-life.org/30/astropecten-irregularis.php, consulted on 2024 December 24.

Author

Photographie de Anne Bay-Nouailhat

Anne Bay-Nouailhat

Project manager in marine environment
Professional diver - Naturalist

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