Pentaceraster mammillatus

(Audouin, 1826)

Vernacular names
English : Common knobbed star
French : Etoile de mer à bosses

Classification
Class : Asteroidea
Order : Valvatida
Family : Oreasteridae
Notes : No subspecies known.

Identification
The species can reach a diameter of 15 cm, rarely more. Five thick arms with blunt ends, large pentagonal body. Knobs arranged in rows in the middle of each arms, radiating from a pentagonal central structure. Color very variable.

Range and habitat
The species occurs in the Indo-Pacific area, from Red Sea and East Africa east to Gulf of Bengal, then to Indonesia. Lives in coral reefs, in sheltered areas on soft substrate, down to 15 meters deep.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : NOT LISTED
CITES : Not listed
Status : The species’ status hasn’t been assessed yet (as with most sea stars) but it appears to be common and even expanding its range eastwards.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation

 

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