Echinaster echinophorus

Disk small (Fig. 11f). Body convex dorsally and flattened ventrally. Five (rarely three to six) short and thick arms, with a robust skeleton (Fig. 11f, g). Abactinal figs mammiform (Fig. 11j), with one large spine. Seven to 11 series of dorsal longitudinal spines. Anus normally positioned within central pentagone of disk and surrounded by 4–6 spines. Madreporite circular with numerous small granules and irregular grooves. Papular areas more numerous on abactinal and lateral regions of arms (Fig. 11h). Papular areas on actinal surface small and widely dispersed. Adambulacral figs with 3 to 4 spines arranged transversally (Fig. 11i). Colour. Red, orange-red, becoming brownish-red when conserved in alcohol and dark brown when dry (Verril 1915, Hendler et al. 1995).

Florida, the Bahamas, Gulf of Mexico, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Colombia, Venezuela, and Brazil (Alvarado 2011, Benavides-Serrato et al. 2011). In Brazil: CE, RN, PB, PE, AL, BA, ES, and RJ, including Abrolhos (Verrill 1915, Krau 1950, Brito 1962, Lima-Verde 1969, Tommasi 1970, Avila-Pirez 1983, Fernandes et al. 2002, Magalhães et al. 2005, Miranda et al. 2012). From 0 to 55 m in depth (Hendler et al. 1995).