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Like other starfish in the family Asteriidae, Marthasterias glacialis is a predator and feeds mostly on bivalve molluscs and other invertebrates. [6] It has been found that secondary metabolites known as saponins, found within the starfish's tissues, have a dramatic effect on the whelk Buccinum undatum.
Starfish or sea stars are star-shaped echinoderms belonging to the class Asteroidea (/ ˌ æ s t ə ˈ r ɔɪ d i ə /). Common usage frequently finds these names being also applied to ophiuroids, which are correctly referred to as brittle stars or basket stars. Starfish are also known as asteroids due to being in the class Asteroidea.
Xantus, 1860 [1] Heliaster kubiniji is a species of starfish in the order Forcipulatida . It is commonly known as the gulf sun star , the common sun star or estrella de mar de golfo and it occurs in the intertidal zone of the Pacific coast of California, Mexico and Nicaragua.
Astropecten scoparius is a predator and is found on the seabed in shallow water or buried in soft sediments. In Ise Bay in central Japan, it lives near the mouth of the bay, while another starfish, Luidia quinaria, predominates in other parts of the bay.
If attacked by a predator such as the morning sun star (Solaster dawsoni) or the sunflower star (Pycnopodia helianthoides), the slime star emits great quantities of repellent mucus and can often evade the predator. [3] The mucus is toxic and has been shown to kill other invertebrates immersed in it. [3]
As cute as its name implies, dressed in spotty, stripy pajamas. Also known as the spotted cardinalfish; scientific name sphaeramia nematoptera. Maximum length: 3.5 inches
Leptasterias polaris is a major predator in the cold waters in which it lives. Young individuals are mostly found on rocks less than 10 metres (33 ft) deep and feed on such bivalve molluscs as the blue mussel ( Mytilus edulis ) and Hiatella arctica .
A marine parasite expert stated that the starfish was an important member of the marine community and that if it were removed, marine biodiversity in the area would be threatened. [ 5 ] In a study published in 2013, Ochitophrya stellarum, the parasitic ciliate, was discovered in 2007 in the tissues of blue crabs.