Living Beings
    Source-identified Asterias rubens; Documentary organism photograph. Framed for display
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    Asterias rubens.jpg · Resized and converted to WebP for display. Documentary organism photograph. Hans Hillewaert · CC BY-SA 4.0

    Field guide · species

    European Starfish

    Asterias rubens Linnaeus, 1758

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    The authority credits the formal scientific description of the name. A year records publication of that description.

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    AnimaliaAsteroideaForcipulatidaAsteriidae

    The European starfish is a five-armed marine predator often associated with shellfish beds. Tube feet provide both movement and a way to manipulate prey, while feeding and reproduction respond to environmental conditions.

    Public research profile · final editorial review pending.

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    Tree of lifeScientific lineage
    1. LifeLife
    2. DomainEukaryota
    3. KingdomAnimalia
    4. PhylumEchinodermata
    5. ClassAsteroidea
    6. OrderForcipulatida
    7. FamilyAsteriidae
    8. GenusAsterias
    9. SpeciesAsterias rubens
    Advanced classification

    Complete source lineage, including intermediate ranks. The standard view uses Life and the eight principal ranks.

    1. cellular organisms cellular root
    2. Eukaryota domain
    3. Opisthokonta clade
    4. Metazoa kingdom
    5. Eumetazoa clade
    6. Bilateria clade
    7. Deuterostomia clade
    8. Echinodermata phylum
    9. Eleutherozoa clade
    10. Asterozoa superclass
    11. Asteroidea class
    12. Forcipulatacea superorder
    13. Forcipulatida order
    14. Asteriidae family
    15. Asterias genus
    16. Asterias rubens species
    Open in taxonomy explorer ↗

    Physical traits

    Adults usually have five broad arms around a central disc. The upper surface is rough, and color varies.

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    Habitat and range

    Rocky, sandy and mixed seabeds support this starfish, including areas with abundant bivalves.

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    Diet and nutrition

    Bivalves are important prey. A starfish can use tube feet to gain access and digest food with its everted stomach.

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    Behavior and activity

    Slow movement across the seabed brings individuals into contact with food and other starfish.

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    Reproduction and life cycle

    Eggs and sperm are released into seawater. Larvae develop in the plankton before settling and changing into juveniles.

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    Geographic distribution

    The species is associated with the northeastern Atlantic and adjacent European seas. Local records are more informative than a generalized global range.

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    Ecological role

    Predation can influence shellfish communities. Its reproductive investment can change with temperature and food supply.

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    Distinctive adaptations

    A water-vascular system powers tube feet, and damaged arms can regenerate under suitable conditions.

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    Conservation

    Laboratory warming experiments reveal possible sensitivities, not a universal prediction for every wild population. No formal status is assigned here.

    Scientific source 1 ↗ · Scientific source 2 ↗

    Evidence

    Sources

    Connected life

    No reviewed ecological connections in the collection yet.

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