Asterias
Encyclopedia
Asterias is a genus
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

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