Asterias amurensis
Northern Pacific seastar
Similar Species
Same Genus
Distribution
Temperate Australasia, Temperate northern Pacific
Description
Can be confused only with Uniophora granifera, but differs from that species in having distinctly pointed arms and one row of spines (as opposed to two) along the ambulacral groove on the underside. Juvenile animals generally have blotches of purple on a yellowish background, but these tend to disappear as the animal matures
Information
Max Size: 46 cm
Sea Temperature Range: 0.1-26.6°C
Depth: 0-35m
Habitat Generalization Index: N/A
Also referred to as the SGI (Species Generalisation Index), this describes the habitat niche breadth of the species. Species with values less than 15 are found in a relatively narrow range of reef habitat types (specialists), while those over 25 may be found on most hard substrates within their range (generalists). Learn more here.
Conservation and Rarity
IUCN Status: Not Evaluated
Occurrence: Infrequent (8.8% of sites)
Occurrence describes how often the species is found on surveys within its distribution. It is calculated as the % of reef sites surveyed by RLS divers across all the ecoregions in which the species has been observed
Abundance: Many (18 per transect)
Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.
Edit by: GJ Edgar. 2008. Australian Marine Life. New Holland, Sydney