Hippasteria phrygiana
Species of starfish
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hippasteria phrygiana, commonly known as the trojan star,[1] is a sea star species, a member of the Goniasteridae family.
| Trojan Star | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Echinodermata |
| Class: | Asteroidea |
| Order: | Valvatida |
| Family: | Goniasteridae |
| Genus: | Hippasteria |
| Species: | H. phrygiana |
| Binomial name | |
| Hippasteria phrygiana (Parelius, 1768) | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Description and characteristics
This species grows up to 20 cm in diameter, with short arms and a large body. The upper surface is red and covered with rounded knob-like spines; the lower surface contains many macroscopic bivalved pedicellariae.
Habitat and geographic range
Biology
This species feeds mostly on cnidarians, especially deep-sea corals.[3]
