Fromia schultzei

Fromia schultzei, commonly known as the granular starfish, is a species of starfish belonging to the family Goniasteridae. It is found on the coasts of South Africa.

Fromia schultzei
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Echinodermata
Class:
Asteroidea
Order:
Valvatida
Family:
Goniasteridae
Genus:
Fromia
Species:
F. schultzei
Binomial name
Fromia schultzei
Synonyms[1]
  • Austrofromia schultzei (Döderlein, 1910)

Description

This large starfish normally has five arms. It is often about 100 mm (4 in) in diameter, while arms of 14 mm (1 in). The arms are broad at the base tapering gradually to a rounded, upturned tip. The surface is covered with little bumps, giving the starfish a granular appearance. The colour is dark orange, red or purplish. There are few spines in the adambulacral areas, and those there are regularly arranged, helping to distinguish this species from Nardoa tuberculata, which is also found in South African waters.[2][3]

References
  1. Mah, Christopher (2018). "Fromia schultzei Döderlein, 1910". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  2. Papers from the Department of Marine Biology of the Carnegie Institution of Washington. The Institution. 1921.
  3. "Granular starfish Austrofromia schultzei". Reef Diversity. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.