Thromidia catalai
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Heavy starfish | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Echinodermata |
| Class: | Asteroidea |
| Order: | Valvatida |
| Family: | Mithrodiidae |
| Genus: | Thromidia |
| Species: | T. catalai |
| Binomial name | |
| Thromidia catalai Pope & Rowe, 1977[1] | |
Thromidia catalai, sometimes called the heavy starfish, is a species of starfish in the family Mithrodiidae in the order Valvatida. It is native to the Indo-Pacific region.[2] Thromidia catalai is one of the largest and heaviest starfishes in the world. It is reported to weigh as much as 6 kg (13 lb) and have a diameter of 60 to 65 cm (24 to 26 in).[3] This species was first described by the Australian biologists E. C. Pope and F. W. E. Rowe in 1977, the type locality being New Caledonia.[4]
Thromidia catalai is a large starfish with five arms and a diameter of up to 70 cm (28 in), weighing up to 6 kg (13 lb).[2] The surface is covered with low tubercles, giving it a granular appearance. The arms are robust and cylindrical, not tapering much and having rounded tips. The disc is small, and both disc and arms are a pinkish-beige colour, apart from the tips of the arms, which are a dark orange-brown.[2] In contrast to other members of the genus Thromidia, the tips of the arms have small, widely spaced tubercles.[4] The only other starfish with which this species could be confused is the closely related Thromidia gigas, but that species, though a similar size, has paler arm tips and is only found in the southern Indian Ocean, around Madagascar, Réunion and South Africa.[2]