SEA STARS OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST DWARF MOTTLED STAR Henricia pumila Eernisse

Class Asteroidea

Order Spinulosida

Family Echinasteridae

DWARF MOTTLED STAR

Henricia pumila Eernisse, Strathmann & Strathmann, 2010

Identification:

5 relatively stout arms with small central disc. Aboral surface coarse. Brownish, mottled with orange or darker brown in the centre of the disc and along the arms. To 5 cm (2 in) across.

Range:

Sitka, Alaska, to Baja California, Mexico; intertidal and shallow subtidal (to at least 15 m (50 ft)).

This diminutive star has mottled aboral colours and usually lives under and between rocks in the intertidal and shallow subtidal zones. This specimen was found in Barkley Sound, BC.

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Notes:

The smallest sea star found in the PNW. It has been known for many years but was only described as a separate species in 2010. The female broods her orange eggs by arching her disc over them.