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 | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Echinodermata |
| Class: | Asteroidea |
| Order: | Valvatida |
| Family: | Ophidiasteridae |
| Genus: | Ophidiaster |
| Species: | O. ophidianus
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| Binomial name | |
| Ophidiaster ophidianus Lamarck, 1816
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| Synonyms[1] | |
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References
edit- ^ "Ophidiaster ophidianus (Lamarck, 1816)". Catalogue of Life. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
- ^ "Ophidiaster ophidianus, purple seastar". www.sealifebase.ca. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
- ^ "description of Ophidiaster ophidianus - Purple starfish". www.european-marine-life.org (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 23 July 2021.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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
- ^ Müller, Johannes; Troschel, Franz Hermann (1842). System der Asteriden. Braunschweig: Mit Zwölf Kupfertalfen. pp. 28–29. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
- ^ 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.