Purple Sun Star

Solaster endeca

This large purple sea star usually has nine or 10 arms, but may have as many as 13. It can be up to 40 centimetres in diameter but is usually 20 centimetres. The colour varies from cream to pink-purple.

Authority

Linnaeus, 1771

Classification Details

Phylum: Echinodermata (echinoderms); Class: Asteroidea (sea stars).

Habitat

Found on rocky, muddy, and sandy seabeds. Occurs all around the Arctic and in northern areas of both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Diet

Feed on other sea stars, sea cucumbers, and molluscs.

Reproduction

Individuals may be male or female. They usually breed in the spring. The female lays large eggs (one millimetre in diameter). These rise to the sea surface and are fertilized by sperm released by the male. The yolk-feeding larvae stay in the plankton for around 20 days. They then sink to the seabed, attach with a sucker, and develop into a small sea star.

Fun Facts

The scale worm Arctonöe vittata is often found living on the purple sun star in Pacific populations. The worm benefits from the sun star’s discarded food but it is not clear if the sun star benefits from the worm.

References

Gemmell JF (1910) The development of the starfish Solaster endeca Forbes. Transactions of the Zoological Society of London 20, 1–71.

Jewett SC, Clark RN, Chenelot H, Harper S, Hoberg MK (2012) Seastars of the nearshore Aleutian archipelago. Proceedings of the American Academy of Underwater Science 2012, 144–172.

Lambert P (2000) Sea stars of British Columbia, southeast Alaska and Puget Sound. Royal British Columbia Museum Handbook Series. Vancouver: UBC Press.

Mah CL (2020). World Asteroidea Database. Solaster endeca (Linnaeus, 1771). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=124160 Accessed online 22 January 2020.

Picton BE and Morrow CC (2016) Solaster endeca (Linnaeus, 1771). [In] Encyclopedia of Marine Life of Britain and Ireland. http://www.habitas.org.uk/marinelife/species.asp?item=ZB1430 Accessed online 22 January 2020.