Scientific name: Asterina gibbosa
(Pennant, 1777)
Common Name: Cat: Estrelleta, Cast: Estrella de capitán, Eng: Startlet/Cushion-star
Depth: Around 20m
Measures: Up to 6cm
How does it look like?
Pentagonal-cushioned shaped, it has very short arms. It's colour can vary from green to dark yellow with some patterns in the upper side. The lower side usually has a paler colour.
Where does it live?
Very abundant and widely distributed around the Mediterranean Sea. Species which is found in Posidonia oceanica forests and in rocky places around 20m of depth.
How does it feed?
Cushion stars are omnivorous. They invert their stomachs in order to digest the food they eat. Their diet includes molluscs, worms and ophiuroids that are also found among rocky shores. They also eat microorganisms, decaying seaweeds and dead invertebrates.
How do they reproduce?
Female Asterina gibbosa deposits up to 1000 eggs under a stone. At the beginning of reproduction, several males surround or congregate around one female during reproduction.
Is a confusion possible?
It can be confused with Asterina pancerii, however they differ in size and colour.
Curiosities
· It is kept very easily in aquariums
· In it's first stages of life all specimens are males. As they grow up they change into females
Taxonomy
Phyllum: Echinodermata, Class: Asteroidea, Order: Spinulosa, Family: Asterinidae
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