Asterias
Encyclopedia
Asterias is a genus
of the Asteriidae
family of sea star
s. It includes several of the best-known species of sea stars, including the (Atlantic) common starfish
, Asterias rubens, and the northern Pacific seastar
, Asterias amurensis.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of the Asteriidae
Asteriidae
Asteriidae is a family of Asteroidea in the order Forcipulatida.-Genera:Genera within the family Asteriidae include:* Ampheraster Fisher, 1923 * Anteliaster Fisher, 1923 * Aphanasterias * Asterias Linnaeus, 1758...
family of sea star
Sea star
Starfish or sea stars are echinoderms belonging to the class Asteroidea. The names "starfish" and "sea star" essentially refer to members of the class Asteroidea...
s. It includes several of the best-known species of sea stars, including the (Atlantic) common starfish
Common starfish
The Common Starfish or Common Sea Star is the most common and familiar starfish in the north-east Atlantic. It has five arms and usually grows to between 10–30 cm across, although larger specimens are known. The Common Starfish is usually orange or brown, and sometimes violet;...
, Asterias rubens, and the northern Pacific seastar
Northern Pacific seastar
Asterias amurensis, commonly called the northern Pacific starfish, is an invasive species in Australia, and native to the coasts of northern China, North Korea, South Korea, Russia and Japan. Distribution of this species into other countries has increased...
, Asterias amurensis.
Species
- Asterias amurensis Lütken, 1871
- Asterias forbesi
- Asterias rathbuni
- Asterias rubens Linnaeus, 1758
- Asterias tanneri
- Asterias vulgaris
External links
- British Marine Life Study Society page on Asterias rubens
- On the species of the Linnaean genus Asterias inhabiting the coast of the United States by Thomas SayThomas SayThomas Say was an American naturalist, entomologist, malacologist, herpetologist and carcinologist. A taxonomist, he is often considered to be the father of descriptive entomology in the United States. He described more than 1,000 new species of beetles and over 400 species of insects of other...
(1825). Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia ; vol. 5, pt. 1